Category: Voices

I think it’s safe to say that everyone is suffering from covid fatigue, all while some are simultaneously dealing with the fear of getting covid, or the loneliness of isolation. I also think it’s safe to say that no one wants to hear the phrase “we’re all in this together”, or “we’re living in extraordinary times”. Despite not wanting to hear these lectures from teachers who will then pile on work that leaves us feeling even worse, many of us could be suffering in silence because they do not know…

I was always aware that I was Asian, almost hyper-aware. I never had a moment of realization that I was the “other”; I just knew that I was. From a young age, which is a bit silly to say considering the fact I’m turning only 20 this year, I knew that non-Asian people, specifically White people, would see me as Asian first and a person second.  I knew that my eyes were smaller and that my skin tanned like a golden egg tart from dim sum. I knew that I…

The pandemic has brought many underlying issues to light. Civil unrest has dominated the news as inequality rooted in institutions are exposed and communicated through social media. Society has become increasingly more divided, and yet, more united than ever before. Society is increasingly more united in the fight against racially fueled injustice. Many have been made aware of the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes. Many state that although these attacks are unfortunate, “the model minority” doesn’t have it so bad under normal circumstances. This could not be further from the…

Dear Mathieu Bock-Côté, I will do you the dissatisfaction of writing this rebuttal in English instead of the “dying” French language. Oh, the horror! For someone who claims that conservatives like you are the minority voice, you sure are very loud. Unlike the raging leftist, not liberal, that I am, you have a much bigger platform and reach with your column in the Journal de Montréal. So, yes indeed, I suppose you are a minority, a minority of Francophone cisgender White men who are conservative.  I, like many others, saw…

A couple of days ago, a viral video circulated where the Conservative Party leader, Erin O’Toole, promised to move Justin Trudeau’s office to a portable toilet, all the while giggling. Many politicians and commentators denounced O’Toole’s behaviour in the video, which dated back from June 2020, as unprofessional and unsuited for someone trying to become Prime Minister of Canada. This video is part of the latest issues plaguing the new leader of a party that won the popular vote in the last federal election and forms the Official Opposition against…

If you are somewhat active on any form of social media, then you have probably seen jokes floating around about people wanting to commit suicide in order to reincarnate into Nicki Minaj’s baby.  Ever since the rapper made her pregnancy announcement in July of 2020, the entire Internet seems to want to be reborn as her child. If you were one of those who wanted this honour, I am the bearer of bittersweet news about the only hope of this year. The Queen of the Barbz has given birth to…

The emancipation proclamation of 1863 was supposed to be the end of slavery in America; however, it was not until 1865 that Congress passed the 13th amendment of the United States constitution. According to National Archives, it states that “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction”. While this was supposed to bring forth the end of slavery, it didn’t.   The prison industrial complex is the…

Dating in quarantine has been a nightmare for someone like me. I’m an extrovert who used to do a lot of extra-curricular activities and general volunteer work. During these activities, I’ve met plenty of wonderful people but never really dated any of them.  With Valentine’s Day looming it’s mocking face at me, I am here spending another Valentine’s day by my lonesome and in quarantine. With the once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, I have not been as social as once was. My parents have weaker immune systems, and my brother is immunocompromised after…

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…

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,…