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Sex and Relationships During Quarantine: A Conversation Amongst Friends Voices 

Sex and Relationships During Quarantine: A Conversation Amongst Friends

In my first article of the semester, which was titled “Loves and Laments from Self-Isolation,” I commented on the romanticisms of the early days of “Quarantine.”  Speaking on the concept of “romanticism,” I had stated, “I’m not referring to those lovely serenades from my ever-so-crass tinder matches […]. I will admit that the dating scene during quarantine is another topic worth exploring though, albeit in a separate article.” You guessed it folks! You are currently reading that “separate article!” Stay-at-home orders became a thing in mid-March of 2020, thereby opening…

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GIRLS AND GAYS (and everyone else) AGAINST PAYWALLS Voices 

GIRLS AND GAYS (and everyone else) AGAINST PAYWALLS

I try to write an essay, every single academic article offered by Google Scholar is paywalled. I burst out into the Beauty and the Beast song to console my aching heart. Tale as old as time… I am only half-joking. I don’t burst into songs every time. However, this whole academia being paywalled to death is a tale as old as time that every student has had to deal with at some point in their academic careers. Research articles are routinely placed behind paywalls that are inaccessible to most students,…

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The United States, a democracy? Voices 

The United States, a democracy?

Americans often praise themselves for being the first democracy in the Western world. They look back to their founding fathers, and all of the admiration their young country initially received, and think: “Ah, yes. We did that,” taking nationalism to a whole new level. Today, this image of the great “first democracy” seems to blind Americans to the reality that the US is much less democratic than they were two centuries ago.   Picking and choosing Very few Western countries idolize their founders the way the US does. Their history…

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Vivarium: A Commentary on Capitalism and Suburbia Voices 

Vivarium: A Commentary on Capitalism and Suburbia

Vivarium is a 2019 horror and science-fiction movie directed by Lorcan Finnegan, starring Jesse Einsenberg as Tom, and Imogen Potts as Gemma. In the film, the couple wants to look for a starter house. They are led by a peculiar real estate agent to Yonder, a suburban neighborhood, and visit house number nine. They are clearly uncomfortable throughout the entire visit and cannot wait to leave. As they turn towards the agent to tell him they are not interested, the couple are surprised that he has suddenly left. They leave…

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Is Michèle Flournoy the Defence Secretary Feminism Really Needs? Voices 

Is Michèle Flournoy the Defence Secretary Feminism Really Needs?

Please note: Mr. Christopher C. Miller was appointed to be the next Secretary of Defense on Nov. 9th, 2020, after this article was written.  This is nonetheless a reflection that is still relevant, as feminism is always a topical interest of The Insider.     Michèle Flournoy is expected to be appointed by Joe Biden as the first female defence secretary of the United States in accordance with his “pledge to have a diverse cabinet”.   “Ms. Flournoy’s sound policy experience will be vital to ensuring strong civilian oversight of the military, professionalism and…

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Acknowledging a Celebration Features 

Acknowledging a Celebration

The mainstream conception of western cultural significance is often shaped by the number of customs and beliefs that we inherited from the Greeks, as well as the Romans.    We have been taught about a world where Roman Christianity and Greek Philosophy constructed the basis of our current society. However, this way of looking at what shapes our traditions, our folklore, and our general perception of ourselves as a culture has made us unaware of the idea that “western culture” has been shaped by many other traditions; these were either…

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Make the Yuletide Homosexual Features 

Make the Yuletide Homosexual

With the freezing temperatures and shorter days, radio stations have begun to play holiday music to put us all in the mood for a nice winter break. When one plays close attention to some of the older songs, one may be shocked to hear the word “gay” being used, though not in the way we are typically used to. This may lead some to wonder: how did the definition of word change so abruptly or what are the consequences of this change? Well, look no further as this raging queer…

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ENJOYING THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT AT MIRABEL OUTLET WITH ME Features 

ENJOYING THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT AT MIRABEL OUTLET WITH ME

Tightly knit crowds gathered around Mirabel outlet, despite the chilly Quebec weather.   Reasons that could explain this crowdedness are the Holiday season, Boxing Day, Post-Boxing Day, boredom, and desperation for socialization.   How I ended up here was more justified, while not completely guilt-free: I don’t live with my family and we wanted to spend some time together since I haven’t seen them in ages.    In the end, I admit that I ended up spending quite a lot of money at Mirabel, contributing to unethical brands’ profits and…

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The Marketing of Holidays Features 

The Marketing of Holidays

The holidays are arguably the time of year that everyone is eager for. Whether the holidays have a religious or a secular meaning to people, most of the world gathers to celebrate and have a lovely time with their families and friends.    The importance of the holidays never ceases to increase in the western world and; subsequently, so do the efforts to exploit them for profit.    Now, commercializing holidays might seem inevitable when living in a capitalist society, but the marketing of holiday products plays mostly on guilt-tripping…

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Sam Smith and Elliot Page: Inspirations for Queer Youth, but Reminders of the Progress Left to Be Made Features 

Sam Smith and Elliot Page: Inspirations for Queer Youth, but Reminders of the Progress Left to Be Made

On Tuesday, December 1st, 2020, Elliot Page, formerly known as Ellen Page, known for his roles in Inception and The Umbrella Academy, among others, came out as a transman over Instagram and Facebook.   He stated that his pronouns are he/they and expressed his gratitude for everyone who has been supporting him.  He also explained how the trans community has “endlessly inspired” him.   Despite the gratitude he displayed, there was another side to his coming-out letter: “Truth is, despite feeling profoundly happy right now and knowing how much privilege…

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