Navigating UofT as a Jew In an article by Layla Rudy critiquing The Strand’s stance on Palestine, the first reporter she labels as anti-Israeli is me, Jessica Beswick, a Jew. As a Jew, I have had my fair share of slurs and violent name-calling; before coming to UofT, I have been called a “kike,” a […]
I’m white until I’m Jewish Read More »
On Métis identity, temporality, and (de)territorialisation Where am I from? What a tricky question. There are four answers I typically give depending on the context. The first simply answers the question of my permanent address: I am from Pitt Meadows, British Columbia. The second answers the question of my origins: I am from a small
A conversation with Professor Janett Vengoa This interview was conducted in Spanish, and all translations are the author’s. Located two hours away from Cusco in the Peruvian Andes, is the town of Pomanchi. Wherever I looked, the imposing cordilleras reminded me that there were bigger, more important things than buildings and cement. People in Pomacanchi
Pomacanchi: community, family, and the resistance against oblivion Read More »
The privilege, courage, and longing tied to the universal pursuit of home I consider home to be a feeling. A feeling strongly associated with family, comfort, and belonging. I am originally from British Columbia, yet despite being away from my family and home city, I have been able to slowly begin viewing Victoria College and
Chasing the feeling of home Read More »
Every click, swipe, and post = $$$ for social media companies The 2020 film The Social Dilemma was not overexaggerating when they said if we are not paying for a product, then we are the product. Like the average 12-year-old in 2019, I begged my parents for a phone. I wanted to download Snapchat, Instagram,
Introducing another form of capitalism: surveillance capitalism Read More »
When surveillance shapes behaviour, we live in Hell We live in a world of cameras and cookies. Everywhere we go, everything we do, want, or think, is tracked. Most of the time, this is to maximise the effectiveness of marketing tactics that push us towards buying the latest unneeded thing. Yet, whether or not we
“L’enfer, c’est les autres” Read More »
From Orwellian fears to a participatory willingness, we have fallen in love with being watched George Orwell’s book, 1984, ends with its protagonist’s submission to the monolithic forces of the surveillance state. It concludes, in chilling simplicity, with Winston’s admission that “he loved Big Brother.” Reading as a middle schooler with no social media other
We love Big Brother Read More »
Candid street shots meet the eerie gaze of AI Perhaps you’ve seen street photography, a subgenre of photography encompassing a wide variety of even smaller subgenres. Perhaps you’ve seen black and white pictures of people arguing outside a subway station, photographs from protests or pride events worldwide, or from the recent flood of street portraiture—bland,
The modern horror of street photography Read More »
It’s what makes it so powerful I used to be overly nonchalant when the subject of our phones listening to us was brought up. In a teenage attempt to sound cool, I would make some unfunny joke like “at least they know what I want,” or claim that I simply didn’t care. I would brush
Your indifference to Surveillance Capitalism matters Read More »
How surveillance erodes trust and autonomy in modern society In the twenty-first century, there has been no technological development more insidious than surveillance. A mere 50 years ago, CCTV was still in its infancy and limited to only a few government-owned locations. At the time, one could shop without a care in the world for
The inhumane face of surveillance Read More »
