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Conspiracies and pseudoscience: how “crunchy” ideals can go hand-in-hand with right-wing politics The term ‘sheeple’ has become popular within many communities to denote groups who are seemingly “brainwashed” by any large institution. But who really are the “sheeple”? And what are they expected to believe when they “wake up”?  According ...

“Old wives’ tales,” dementia, and piecing together the metaphysical enigma that is my grandmother’s life “Y’know, my mother always told me that gin would make you blind, and that’s also what Äiti (Äiti means “mother” in Finnish, but has become synonymous in our family with my great great grandmother’s name) ...

The strange paradox of student apartments If you’ve ever lived in a student apartment, you already know the script: the shower that you can never quite get clean, the landlord who ghosts you once rent is paid, the mysterious smell that no amount of Febreze can fix. My place, the ...

The illusion of subversion: how Hollywood packages “progressive” stories Recently, the new Superman film sparked significant discussion online about supposedly being an allegory for the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Or maybe it was about Ukraine. Or Kashmir. Truthfully, it was hard to discern the film’s political messaging. Superman depicts a ...

The dangers of relying on ‘AI Therapists’ “Imagine a world in which the answer to ‘Am I the asshole?’ is always a firm, reassuring no.” In a The New Yorker article published last month, Paul Bloom, a moral psychology researcher at UofT, explores the risks of AI’s sycophantic behavior—the models’ ...

An account of the state of American politics Only a month into the second Trump presidency, it feels like it has been 30 months. While the early days of his first term were mired in disorganisation and uncertainty, he has not made the same mistakes. Instead, the administration has moved ...

Everyone’s favourite dating game a. Pooja  Position: The court jester (social media manager)  Worst advice someone has given you about dating: people say you should never ask a woman her age… but how else am I gonna get her time of birth for cafe astrology?? What is your go-to pick-up ...

On Bengali Hindu Persecution, Trumpian takes, and why America won’t save us More than half a century ago, as the slapdash borders of Partition tore through Bengal, entire Hindu families were forced to flee torch-lit raids. Many packed onto overcrowded trains heading towards the supposed safety of India; some trudged ...

Victoria College’s civil discourse In the world of politics, manners can get a little muddled. Regardless of the spaces in which they are held—online forums, social media platforms, in-person conversations, or even institutional spaces—political debates can spiral out of control, with escalating tones and sharp insults. Just a few days ...

How queer surveillance has evolved from the Cold War to the Digital Age If you’ve ever studied the Cold War in a history class, chances are that you’ve heard of either the Red Scare or McCarthyism. These two campaigns targeted (perceived) communists, but there was a third parallel operation that ...