Issue 88.4

n Dit

ISSUE 88.4 MAY 2020

n Dit 2020

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ON DIT CONTENTS Editorial What’s On? State of the Union SRC Report Left, Right, and Centre Vox Pop Club Spotlight Econ Dit Rural Student News International Student News ARTICLES Opinions on the SSAF Corona fascism Australian education system Juries and fallout of the Pell case Gratitude and guilt.

Meet social media.

Why communism doesn’t work Artist spotlight: Sarah Boese It’s hard to explain The many lives of Africa in on raging colour Quarantine recommendations Tips and tricks for cooking during iso Which faculty does your heart truly lie in?

Your ultimate guide to dating the Man Child

5 6 8 9 10 12 14 16 18 20

Film review: The Lighouse Punters guide to eating ass

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ARTWORK AND CREATIVE WRITING Love in the time of Covid 34 A tragedy in the fruit aisle 56 The Enemy 60 Media is War 61

EDITORS Nick Birchall Felix Eldridge 22 Taylor Fernandez 26 Larisa Forgac 29 SUBEDITORS 30 Will Broderick Ivan Bucalo 32 Holly Cooke 36 Oliver Hales Anika Pietek 38 Rory Spiers 44 Maya Tlauka 46 DESIGN 47 Larisa Forgac 48 COVER ART Dreams of summer 50 By Larisa Forgac 52

We wish to acknowledge the Kaurna people as the traditional custodians of the Adelaide region on which the University of Adelaide is located. We also acknowledge Elders, living and past, and understand that the cultural and heritage beliefs that the Kaurna people hold are still important to the living members of their community today.

EDITORIAL

Hello from Felix, Taylor, Larisa, and Nick, Welcome to Issue 4 of On Dit! We hope that you are all staying safe and healthy during these difficult times. Now that studies have shifted completely online, university is being exclusively experienced from your home.

Consequently, with no distinction between your house and your campus, it is easier to feel a sense of detachment from uni. However, On Dit aims to maintain some elements of normalcy during this time of uncertainty, regardless of the medium. Despite the difficulty in picking up a physical copy of the magazine right now, we still want to entertain and inform students. On Dit will continue to report on the decisions made by representative bodies, promote events, and provide general updates about university life.

When considering that the majority of us are in isolation, we also want to be a source of entertainment. With more time on our hands, there is a greater desire to consume content. In this issue, we have collated poetry, reviews, quizzes, and political pieces: all for the purpose of entertaining you at home. Check out the article on cooking tips in isolation or explore which faculty you truly belong to with our faculty quiz.

We would also like to take this opportunity to keep everyone in the loop about the new student support package. The University, in conjunction with the AUU, has released a financial package that students can access. It covers students who have lost supplementary income due to COVID-19, first year students who cannot continue to study and cannot access other government support and also those who are working to support family dependents who cannot support themselves. Furthermore, it also contains a welfare and academic support plan. In particular, the University has announced a change to the grading system for Semester 1 and potentially Semester 2 where all passing grades and all failing grades can be changed to ‘non graded passes’ and ‘withdraw no fails’ respectively. This means that a bad result will not negatively impact your GPA. This is fantastic news for students who are struggling to adjust to the new online teaching style.

Details of the plan can be found here: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/covid-19/studentinformation/student-support-package We hope that you enjoy reading Issue 4, and stay safe!

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N O S ’ T A H W ?

N O S ’ T A H W games at adelaide uni The Games Club are hosting their weekly Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday gaming sessions online, so join their Discord server to have fun playing a variety of games!

kaffeeklatsch online

The Adelaide University German Club are helping you practise your German speaking ability through their regular online meet-ups.

rotaract cooking class: Italy

Join the Rotaract Club at 12pm on the 16th of May to learn how to cook some simple and easy Italian pasta dishes!

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W ?

N O S ’ T A H W ?

N salsa mania online classes

Want to keep dancing at home? The Salsa Mania Club have been posting online classes for both beginners and intermediates.

sustainable sundays

The Adelaide Sustainability Association are hosting weekly Zoom sessions where you can discuss sustainability, socialise with others, and complete some projects from home! Join Sustainable Sundays every Sunday at 1pm.

AUHHC Online hip-hop classes

The Adelaide Uni Hip-Hop club will continue their weekly dance classes every Monday at 5:30pm. The classes only cost $3.50 each!

Contact their Facebook page if you are interested.

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STATE OF THE UNION Words by AUU President Stella Seung-Joo Woo

Hello everyone! Most of us are staying home at the moment but hopefully we can all see each other again soon. These are difficult times but I’m sure we can all get through it. On the bright side, the student support package is finally out! I’m glad that I have been able to contribute toward this package and have the student voices heard! I would also like to thank all staff and students who have been working hard on this package. If you don’t know what the student support package is you can find more information about the package here https://www.adelaide.edu.au/ covid-19/student-information.

There’s also been an email sent out so you can check that out. There are three aspects to it: academic support, wellbeing plan, and emergency financial support. Academic matters are important and all, but mental and physical health is also important! There are support services available for different areas so make sure you check them out if you need help. The support package is aimed towards the international students as they aren’t eligible for Centrelink. But if you are a domestic student and you think you are eligible for some of Centrelink’s benefits but aren’t sure, you can always reach out to student care and they can help you out. Also, understanding that

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there are many students affected by Covid-19, I’ve been able to lead the AUU Board to increase funding to the student support package by one million dollars.

With all the courses going online, a lot of us are feeling lost and unsure but don’t worry there are always people around that will support you, and there have been grading adjustments. There is now a Non-Graded Pass, all fails will be converted to Withdraw No Fail and Results Pending will be given if some of your course components need to be suspended to a later day. If you are unable to study because you don’t have access to certain materials, that’s where the support package comes in!

Now for some fun stuff, I know it is difficult for clubs to have events at the moment (such as the Engineering pub crawl being postponed), but there are still online events coming along. If you’re bored and not sure what to do at home, check out the UofA Holiday Edition Facebook page.

If you have any feedback or anything you just want to talk about feel free to email me. Stay healthy and safe!

Stella Seung-Joo Woo President, Adelaide University Union auupresident@auu.org.au

SRC REPORT Words by SRC General Secretary Isaac Trumble

The past few weeks have been an interesting time for the SRC. We’re in an unprecedented position at the moment with the recent removal of the SRC President Henry Armfield for an incident which occurred at the Unibar with a female student who felt intimidated by the actions of the former President.

Since the removal of the former President, I have been leading the SRC as the Acting President. However, this post will be filled very shortly as the SRC Executive have now conducted interviews with those who have expressed interest in filling the vacancy and then subsequently agreed to be interviewed. The Executive is made up of myself, Leah Schamschurin, Ngoc Lan Tran (Laura) and Peter Tantalos.

SRC Members have recently been taking part in student consultations with the University which has led to the adoption of the new policies relating to Non-graded Passes, Fails converted to Withdraw No Fails and Results Pending.

This is a huge win for students of the Adelaide University and the SRC has been very supportive of these excellent initiatives from the Uni.

the best outcomes for students during these difficult times. The SRC still has vacancies open for a number of positions which were advertised over the past weeks and the interview process for those applications will begin as soon as is feasible. These positions needing to be filled are Queer Officer, Social Justice Officer, Disability Officer and ATSI Officer.

The SRC has also recently carried a motion congratulating the Morrison Government on its student support payments for those of us who are struggling with finances during these incredibly difficult times. This is another great outcome for students, albeit one the SRC wasn’t directly involved in.

I would encourage all students to remain vigilant in these hard times. Maintain social distancing measures, keep on top of your studies, seek help from Student Care if needed (studentcare@adelaide. edu.au), and, most importantly, don’t lose hope. If any student has anything they wish to bring up with their student reps, our contact emails can be found on the AUU Website and my personal email is Isaac.trumble@gmail.com.

Recently the SRC filled the vacancy for Education Officer, electing Harnoor Bandesh to this position. He has hit the ground running in trying to secure

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LEFT RIGHT & CENTRE LEFT

Sahara Boniface Socialist Alternative

1. The government should be extending welfare to non-citizens and non-permanent residents. While acknowledging that people who reside in Australia are valuable to the Australian economy and contribute a large percentage to GDP, it is hypocritical to then not offer the same welfare benefits that Australian citizens receive. Returning ‘home’ is simply not an option to the majority of people and so while they are living, studying and/or working in Australia, the same financial benefits should be offered to all.

2. Australia should consider nationalising certain industries as an option to prevent insolvency, as it would be beneficial to everyday people. The privatisation of industry means that it is often solely driven by monetary gain and this means surplus workers are often laid off. Nationalisation would help to keep job security for a larger percentage of people. It would also mean that prices within the specified industry would be lowered for consumers, making the product more accessible to all members

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of the working class, as there is less competition between private markets.

3. The idea that Australians should withdraw superannuation to help cover basic human needs such as food and rent is one I am against. The people who are most likely to be financially struggling at this time and so need to withdraw from their superannuation are those in part-time or casual positions.

These types of positions, as opposed to full-time employment, generate less income and therefore the superannuation funds of part-time and casual workers will be relatively lower. Forcing people to withdraw from their retirement funds early will affect them later in life, as they may feel as though they are not financially able to retire when they should. Instead of making Australians use their superannuation as a last resort, the government should consider redistributing funding from other sectors to help cover the costs of this crisis.

CENTRE

Arabella Wauchope Adelaide University Labor Club

1. It’s a disgusting thing to say to vulnerable students with no

1. Scott Morrison recently suggested that international students should “go home” if they could not support themselves in Australia. Should the government be extending welfare to non-citizens and non-permanent residents?

2. Italy has recently nationalised Alitalia, an Italian airline to save it from insolvency. Should Australia consider nationalising certain industries as an option to prevent their collapse?

3. It has been suggested Australians should withdraw superannuation to help cover costs. Are you for or against this idea?

understanding as to financial/personal situations. International students have left home and families to invest into higher education institutions. Many cannot return and study online- something already accessible in the comfort of their home countries. Stuck in Australia, with the jobs dried up, they are relying on the kindness of universities. Underfunded universities rely on upfront fees. Students across the country still have to cough up the full fee each semester. Governments created what has now put international students in such difficult financial situations. There is a responsibility to rectify.

2. Nationalisation is attacked as idealistic. Our COVID-19 reality has shattered the idealistic aspect to nationalised services. Free markets becoming unchecked are no good in a crisis. COVID-19 has shown where any government’s priorities should be and that’s on looking after a community.

Whether that comes as financial assistance to existing businesses or nationalising essential services really should depend on the country and their circumstance. The pandemic has demonstrated the flaws our current healthcare system and aged care system to name just a few.

3. Against. You can withdraw up to $10,000 for demonstrable financial hardship. For Industries like hospitality where average super contributions are lower, any amount taken will be severe on that individual’s retirement. There’s no understanding of how many have fallen through the cracks of government payouts. A casual working at the same place for 11 months can’t get access to Job keeper. Encouraging drawdowns without stressing the consequences is cruel. Drawdowns put a strain on superfunds and their ability to invest in longer term and high growth assets. This is the first step conservatives would be craving of weakening the super system, not surprising given the ‘every man for himself’ ideology of Australian Liberals.

RIGHT The Adelaide University Liberal Club chose not to submit an answer for this issue.

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vox pop Tom Noone Law and Commerce

Eilis Noone Law and Arts

1. Zambis

1. Currently broke, so none

2. Runaway by Yeezy

2. Anything from Beyonce’s album 4

3. Steam sales...

3. Nope!

4. Honestly will probably just be staying at home anyway

5. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

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4. I’ll go anywhere!

5. No Friend but the Mountains Behrouz Boochani

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Favourite restaurant to order from during isolation?

Most influential song of the last decade for you?

Any guilty purchases during isolation?

Where would you like to travel once restrictions have lifted?

What book should everyone read?

Jack Rau Psychological science 1. Chefs of Tandoori on Unley Road. Best Indian food in SA!!

2. Dead heat between “13” by Allan Rayman and “The Haunted”

by Northeast Party House.

3. Random assortment of vintage sports tees 4. The UK!

Hannah King Law 1. Maccy D’s 2. One Direction - What Makes you Beautiful 3. Nintendo Switch (with Mario Kart) 4. Fiji 5. An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield

5. Atonement by Ian McEwan

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UoA Club culture and the online sphere

CLUB SPOTLIGHT

Words by Felix Eldridge

It is easy to only see the negatives of COVID-19 when considering its impact upon University study.

When considering club culture at Adelaide University, upon first glance it might indeed appear to be just as depressing as the academic culture. After all, almost all physical events and activities are no longer happening, the campus is empty and students are as stressed as ever about adapting to a new format of study. But this is not the only view that is out there.

Club culture is also evolving.

Fundamentally, club culture is adaptable. Clubs have adapted to meet changing circumstances before. Clubs survived funding cuts, complete structural overhauls, voluntary student unionism. Similarly, clubs will survive COVID-19.

Our club leaders already represent our most creative, our brightest and our most hardworking individuals. These are students who have spent years organising events, activities, running budgets, keeping minutes, updating constitutions etc. These are the

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crème de la crème of our student community and I for one have the utmost faith in them to adapt to the new environment.

For a start, some clubs might be able to transition without a hitch.

Clubs like the Minecraft club already have a whole online server, community and a virtual campus to explore. The Games club already feature a variety of online games through a variety of platforms.

Other clubs are starting to host online versions of previously physical events. For example, the Italian Society has begun hosting coffee catch-ups online. The Arts Students Association ran a successful quiz night via Kahoot.

The Adelaide Sustainability Association has distributed various ‘grow your own herb’ kits and periodically host Zoom sessions to provide tips about how to grow them. And there will be any number of virtual club AGMs going on in the coming months.

Whatever the format, whatever the interest, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved.

Given the lack of physical AUU presence anywhere, you might be wondering where can I find the details for such events? Well, there are two particularly good sources I can recommend. The Facebook groups ‘Things to Do at Adelaide U’ and ‘UoA Home Edition’ both provide information

This is also an opportunity for greater involvement in the planning of events and overall management of clubs. Clubs need fresh ideas and innovative thoughts to fuel their transitions into the online world. What better time to sign up, attend a few events and offer your own suggestions about how to make them even better? Perhaps your club is struggling to make the transition and you have a simple answer to fix their issues.

The AUU and its staff are also supporting clubs. The AUU has updated their club grant guidelines to make it easier for clubs to apply for smaller grants to run events.

The AUU has also been offering seminars for clubs about how they can use social media and online platforms to promote and run their events. This transition of skill will mean that more clubs are able to make the most out of COVID-19 in the future.

The AUU is also now offering fortnightly prizes of $200 for the most innovative event. Finally, the AUU is there to answer any questions you might have.

Whether it is helping you with something technical like grant applications or just general event

planning, they are there for you (within their contact hours that is).

And with help comes hope.

Almost all the clubs are in the same boat, struggling against the tide of restrictions and uncertainty, yet they have persevered as a collective, beating many of the odds and that is, and should be, an inspiration to us all.

Like a phoenix reborn from the ashes, clubs will survive. There is hope. We will get through this.

CLUB SPOTLIGHT

about upcoming club events which ordinary students can participate in. I would highly recommend joining at least one of them.

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ECON DIT Should we have a minimum wage?

Words by Eric Pan

Did you know that Australia has the highest minimum wage in the world in 2019 when adjusted to inflation and purchasing power?

Hell yeah! You might say. Higher minimum wage means that we can make some decent pocket money at a part-time job and still enjoy ourselves while we toil and moil at uni. But how does minimum wage actually work? It all sounds great, but what are some of the downsides? What does a high minimum wage mean?

Technically, the minimum wage is the minimum amount of remuneration employers must provide to workers for work performed in a given period, which cannot be reduced by collective agreement or an individual contract.

Interestingly, the concept of a minimum wage hasn’t been around for so long. The minimum wage was first introduced in New Zealand in 1894 and in its early day’s minimum wage was considered as a temporary measure that would be phased out eventually.

Australia is one of the first countries to establish a permanent minimum wage on a national scale.

The minimum wage was first introduced in 1907 which established a ‘fair and reasonable’ wage to meet the needs of a working man and his family.

Today, the national minimum wage is reviewed and adjusted annually by the Fair Work Commission, and generally, the increase in the minimum wage has been small and incremental and have, for the most part, kept up with inflation. In 2020, Australia’s national minimum wage stands at an hourly rate of $19.49.

Although Australia has a national minimum wage scheme, most industries pay an award rate above the minimum wage. Award rates vary across industries and are negotiated by industryspecific unions and moderated by the Fair Work Commission. In Australia, only 2% of the population of workers are on the minimum wage. Thus, the minimum wage is really targeted at supporting the most vulnerable workers in our country.

At its core, the minimum wage is set to prevent the exploitation of workers. All workers should be paid a sufficient level of income to afford a decent standard of living. I think this is a strong

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moral and social argument.

However, many economists argue that the minimum wage is a counter-productive way of protecting workers. Economic theory suggests that minimum wage creates an inefficient allocation of labour that leads to unemployment and under-employment.

Let’s think about the economic theory for a minute. But before we begin, it is critical to think about wage as a price. Wage is merely the price of labour and like any other prices, wages are determined by the laws of supply and demand.

If coffee now costs $15 per cup, you would surely buy less of it and cafĂŠs will struggle to survive.

The same thing happens to wages. When you introduce a minimum wage, the cost of labour increases and employers are squeezed. To survive, firms can either increase the price of goods or reduce the cost of labour. The latter is preferred because employers need to maintain their customer base to protect their profit margin. Therefore, some workers will be made redundant or have their working hours reduced to compensate for the increased labour costs.

The truth is minimum wage inevitably creates unemployment and underemployment as a byproduct. However, the magnitude of the impact depends on the height of the minimum wage.

For these reasons, pro-market economists argue that a free-market approach is a much more effective way of creating better wages and lower unemployment rate.

Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Singapore do not have a minimum wage system, yet they consistently produce high wages for workers, low unemployment rate, and are ranked highly for standards of living among developed nations.

Instead of a minimum wage, these countries allow workers and firms to interact freely in the labour market whilst advocating for collective bargaining between firms and labour unions.

Labour unions negotiate wage increases independently with businesses to ensure workers are fairly compensated.

Without a minimum wage, wages can increase through competition in the free market.

Unemployment and under-employment fall subsequently as workers have the choice to work for less money if they want. I think it’s better to be employed and earning a little less compared to being unemployed and earning nothing at all.

So theoretically, a high minimum wage creates higher unemployment and underemployment.

But how does this theory stack up against the real world we live in?

Empirical research on the Australian labour market has not found a significant causal link between minimum wage and unemployment in Australia. Researchers found that minimum wage has had very little impact on employment via hours worked or job losses.

A market-orientated labour market like the one in Demark could function well in Australia.

However, the minimum wage system has worked well for us for a long time without creating an adverse impact on our labour market. At the current level, the minimum wage is high enough to provide a decent standard of living and is low enough to incentivise workers to upskill through education and training to increase their earning potentials. I think the system is working well, and I would not be inclined to change the system at this point.

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How COVID -19 is cracking country communities Words by Kate Chapman For many rural residents, isolation can be their greatest asset, but the irony during these unpredictable times is it can also pose their greatest risk.

At first thought you may think rural communities have the upper hand when it comes to the spread of corona virus due to their significantly lower population density which reduces opportunities for the virus to spread. Whilst comparatively, rural communities actually face very real, potentially worse realities such as having a higher percentage of older and at-risk people, which in turn increases the prevalence of infection in isolated communities as well as increasing Coronavirus-related mortality and other long-term health impacts.

Another drawback, rural communities are currently facing is the lack of infrastructure in place to handle a possible outbreak. Dr Iannuzzi, the deputy mayor of the local council in Coonabarabran stated in an article by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), “The reality is that smaller rural hospitals are not designed or geared up for ventilated patients and this is going to be a scary thing if COVID-19 pops up in these small towns�. While in Australia we have an average of 8 ICU beds for 100, 000 people, many regional centres have a very low concentration of these beds and appropriate staff. If there was an outbreak, they would almost certainly have to be transferred to metropolitan hospitals putting a greater strain on families.

Furthermore, this places extreme importance on Australians following current guidelines regarding the halting of unnecessary travel from home. Whether it is to go to a beach house or on a holiday. Regional areas which receive a flood of people going to shacks etc. just further increases the risk of spread. We simply must not do it.

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COVID-19 is also impacting the rural economy in distinctive ways. This is due to the loss of passing traffic they receive from tourists which brings in money as people visit small businesses such as cafes, gift shops, pubs and winery’s. The chief executive of Australian Grape and Wine, Tony Battaglene recently told the ABC that 30% of winery’s will go to the wall. All of which are in rural or semirural areas. There are also great concerns for country pubs that are currently closed and may never reopen which greatly affects the social structure of the community. The country pub has long been the hub for communities to get together and socialise, so the social impact is also significant. This loss of income in the economy does not only lead to short term hardship for small business owners but may have implications for longer term health outcomes in rural populations.

Rural communities will and are being affected in different ways in comparison to urban, industrialised areas. So, whilst restrictions are being slowly lifted, it still remains crucial that we do all we can to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in these regions. DO your part. Don’t decide that going camping in a remote area is ‘isolating’ or ‘quarantining’. Don’t think that you are not affecting anyone by staying at your beach house on the coast. So as a semi-rural student from a rural campus, I strongly encourage you to stay at home until you are told otherwise.

Then you can run free and then go spend all your money in rural and regional areas, whether it’s at Barossa for a wine tour, the Bordertown bakery or the Clare Pub. You do your part and I’ll do mine.

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While state borders remain closed across the country, an argument between country doctors and local councillors has been sparked with state and territory governments as they push for them to consider completely shutting off rural districts to protect small isolated communities from getting the virus and potentially sending a second wave through major cities even when the main brunt of it is over.

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WS RURAL STUDENT NEWS RURAL STUDENT NEWS RUR

international international student student news news MY INTERVIEW WITH TEHRAN Words by Yeganeh Soltanpour

The interview in this article was conducted prior to the release of the current International student support package by the Government of South Australia on Tuesday the 21st of April 2020. Nonetheless, this article voices the conditions of a student whose grief goes beyond their loss of income or not knowing how to navigate online classes. The identity of this student will be kept hidden and they will be referred to by the city they are from.

I was watching people’s stories on Instagram when I saw an image of a single lit candle on a black background. I responded to their story and asked them if they were okay, to which they responded with a simple “not really”- and suddenly I felt the weight of everything I would type, as though I was afraid to hurt them more by talking to them. Before that conversation, I was watching the death toll rise as a result of Covid-19, but I (like most) only saw the statistics. So although the topic of discussion for most students has been refunds, loss of work and how unfair online classes are, I realised that these topics are null compared to the things occupying the minds of some of our fellow students. My conversation with Tehran meant I looked at statistics surrounding Covid-19 differently, it was in that moment that I knew international students needed support packages now more than ever.

For international students that come from countries being hit the hardest, almost every option offered to them was an empty lifeline: they were asked to stay and not complain or go home and risk their lives in the process. When I spoke to Tehran, they had recently been laid off work and couldn’t pay their bills. Tehran’s family had not worked for almost two months now and couldn’t send a lot of money to help with bills and tuition fees. Tehran had to use whatever was in their bank account as well as an extra $150 they borrowed from a housemate to pay their tuition fees before the census date. Nothing can prepare you for the moment you have to cough up $16,388 for a semester’s worth of classes. Tehran said that a family member of theirs passed away, and they didn’t know how to grieve. They said “you can’t believe someone’s gone until you see the stone with their name on it”. For Tehran this wasn’t something they could do. In places where there are more bodies than burial sites, you have to walk above a mass grave and just hope you have the right one - if you’re allowed to that is.

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I understand the gloominess of that last paragraph, but it is a necessary truth. For Tehran, a support package could mean more than a month’s worth of groceries, and buying their own groceries means they don’t have to feel guilty for wanting to eat more after their housemates had generously shared their meal.

Tehran said “I don’t understand why everyone is so angry- so frustrated with us because we are asking for help too. Okay, I get it; we’re not from this country. But we are here too: we pay triple the fees, we have jobs, we also pay taxes, we buy local food - we do everything you do! So why are people against [the idea of a support package]?”. I asked Tehran why they don’t correct students when they see comments like that? If they think they have a point, why not say it? - “I’m afraid if I respond, people will get angry with me - and say things I’d rather not hear”. I also asked Tehran what a support package would mean. With a much more enthusiastic voice they said “ I know I would be so relieved- I’ll put most of it in the savings and spend $40 a week to save it. But before that I will mak5e all my housemates a nice dinner to thank them for taking care of me”.

Every student is having it tough right now, and there is no competition on who has it worse. But before we make a comment or like someone else’s, we should take a moment to understand what a person reading them feels. There is no longer an argument as to whether students should receive a support package since that’s being done. It’s now about those outraged by the package, seeing it as unfair to domestic students. I won’t comment on what is wrong or right, but I will say this: right now, the world is lacking kindness, empathy, and compassion. Students are all under pressure because of this pandemic and if support is being offered, then what better to do that to celebrate it?

Tehran wanted me to say that I hope you found some strength in their vulnerability and to not be afraid to seek help if you need it.

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I would like to extend my thanks to Tehran, who shared so much of their story with me. I would also like to thank the Government of South Australia and universities for making this support package possible and available to its students.

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Opinions on the SSAF FOR Words by Ali Amin Every year Young Liberals around the country run their “Axe the SSAF” campaign, a campaign designed to rip apart student unions, defund student clubs, destroy student representation and make sure even more student money is controlled by unelected and disconnected university bureaucrats.

Many students may be asking what is SSAF, how is it connected to the student union, what the hell are you even talking about?

To answer this, we have to take a trip down memory lane. Around 20 years ago student unionism and campus culture across Australia was thriving. Every single student starting university was an automatic member of their student union (if the university body wanted so) and for a relatively meagre cost got a lively and active university community as well as access to an impressive suite of benefits.

Students also had strong representative student bodies whose members represented them to government and served on academic / community bodies and university committees of various kinds. While this still happens, student representatives no longer have the administrative support, resources or clout needed to lead effective public campaigns or provide vice chancellors and governing councils with properly prepared and researched contributions on a regular basis.

It was only in 2007 when the Howard

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Government got full control of the Senate & House of Reps that a policy to abolish universal student unionism could be legislated, not even something the Nationals supported (with rural & regional campuses disproportionately impacted with worse facilities and oncampus activity).

Student unions either collapsed or become a shadow of their former self, with their income dropping from millions to tens of thousands in the span of a year. Ultimately it was the students who suffered. Services were closed, community initiatives defunded and many low cost outlets, like the Unibar, had to be sold to private vendors, veering university services towards for-profit businesses that took money off campus, instead of recycled straight back into money spent on the student body. Most drastically, Universities became less accountable as students bargaining power diminished.

Eventually the Howard Government came to an end which provided a new opportunity to reform the sector. The Student Services and Amenities Fee (“SSAF”) was introduced in 2012 under the Gillard government, which was a direct compromise to how it was run prior to 2007. The SSAF legislation introduced has many faults and did not fully recover the serious damage already caused to student wellbeing, satisfaction and retention, but it was pragmatic first step.

Instead of SSAF going straight to the student union, it is collected by powerful university administrators who would then negotiate to release some money to the student union, with the rest being spent on a specific set of guidelines by the university. The student perspective on what students wanted and needed most was given the opportunity to flourish again.

The $308 in SSAF you now pay is deferable and can be put on your HECS so there doesn’t tend to be much concern as to its financial impact, especially when considering the benefits you get.

About $108 of the SSAF you pay (35% which is relatively high compared to other student unions) goes to the Adelaide University Union with the rest being used or distributed as the University sees fit. Yet the Young Liberals campaign tends to be almost completely centred around SSAF expenses by student unions whose executive members are democratically elected, and not the fact that the overwhelming majority of SSAF around the country is controlled and expended by university bureaucrats.

The reality is this isn’t a campaign to ‘put more money in your hands’ as they claim, it is an ideological crusade to destroy student unions using SSAF as a cover. If successful, the end result will likely be further restrictions that will mean an army of university administrative staff control and direct even more of your money and a weaker student body that has completely capitulated to the whims of management.

largely because Liberals don’t believe in collectivism and they certainly do not want students to have the capacity to mount effective campaigns against their party’s plans to fully deregulate universities and introduce $100,000 degrees. Student unions are an annoying nuisance that can get in the government’s way, so the simple solution is to destroy them. Who better to carry out this crusade than an army of affluent and naïve man children whose lawyer parents can represent them to the university if needed and who don’t need to use basic services because they’re already hyperconnected private school kids in paid community clubs and programs.

I’m not one to think that student unions or SSAF is perfect or that the Liberals don’t have some good points, but this campaign is flaccid, disingenuous and just isn’t representative of what the average student actually feels or thinks about it.

If you want SSAF to be relevant then it’s time to legislate a 50% SSAF minimum for student unions, it’s time for all sections of the university student body to vote as a single interested party, it’s time to decentralise power and money directly to student clubs and communities and it’s time to be on guard against unrepresentative extremists.

Ali Amin is the 2020 National Union of Students Welfare Officer, former SRC Welfare Officer and former SRC President at Adelaide University.

Why? Probably because some loser backbencher politicians want to relive their student politics glory days but

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AGAINST Words by Rory M. Williams

The Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) is a compulsory fee charged to all students studying at Australian Universities. The Gillard Government introduced the SSAF in 2011. The fee costs about 300 dollars a year for a typical full time student and is payable alongside standard course fees.

There are several clear issues with this fee: Firstly, a chunk of the money is spent supporting ideological causes or wasteful services that students may not agree with nor wish their money to be spent supporting.

Take for example the National Union of Students (NUS). Until comparatively recently, the Adelaide University Union was sending thousands of dollars a year to fund the NUS. The NUS is a national representative body of students and student associations. Its main attraction is an annual conference in which student politicians waste hundreds of hours debating issues such as political correctness and how best to drive the government of the day to the political left. This form of ‘activism’ is far removed from daily issues of the average Adelaide University student and rightly should not be funded by them.

At a more local level, student unions / SRCs run protests and campaigns

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complaining about this that or the other obscure Federal political issue that mainly do not concern students.

Another example is the money given to the sporting clubs. While sports are an excellent way of making friends and creating club culture, the funding apportioned to these groups is disproportionate to what a student could conceivably draw out of it. For example, expensive sports such as gliding would require, in effect, a subsidy from all SSAF payers regardless of whether students wanted to help fund these expensive sports or not.

Unlike some smaller sports like table tennis which, after the initial purchase of tables, require only bats and balls and thus can be run cheaply, these expensive sports are a drag on student money that could otherwise be better spent.

The second issue with SSAF is the compulsory nature of the fee for an otherwise normal set of services.

SSAFophiles will immediately defend SSAF by saying that students will get value from their fees. But do they?

While students can certainly benefit from some of the services offered by student unions, they are not likely to use the majority of them and thus are not seeing a return upon investment.

There is no issue with students choosing to join a student union because they

see financial value in doing so (although this value is quite limited in my opinion).

From the student union side, staffing swallows up a significant amount of the fee, as do services that are replicated by the University, such as support services.

More is spent on student honorariums but even more basically on things that students should choose whether to pay for at all. The most compelling argument against SSAF is that students, not the state, know how best to spend their money.

The third issue with SSAF is that it disproportionately affects the poor.

The SSAF is a tax on students, plain and simple. Students are some the most disadvantaged groups in society and a tax which singles them out is a significant injustice to them. Many students struggle to find employment, housing, and access transport as it is, slapping a further fee upon them for attempting to improve their employability is just cruel. In a way, this is even more punitive for university students who are just attempting to get further ahead in life. A tax upon uni students is a tax upon the ‘smart’ and by extension, our nation’s future.

Why should the state discriminate against the next generation of lawyers, teachers, doctors, and scientists?

Finally, the abolition of the SSAF does not equate to the destruction of student unions. If a student union provides valuable services for students, then students will join the union and benefit from such services of their own free will.

If a student union ran itself like a club or business, then it could provide services to members who actually wanted it.

SSAFophiles will say that a student union is not a business and requires the SSAF to survive. But does it? Do the SDA, NTEU, CFMMEU rely on taxes or compulsory membership to fund their operations? No. Shouldn’t trade unions be the role models for student unions? Student unions cannot survive in their current form if the SSAF were to be removed, but they could if they restructured. The organisations will naturally adapt to become more efficient and provide better quality services at a lower cost for members as it adjusts to fit the market.

Overall, the SSAF is a burden upon students because it is levied regardless of access to the services it funds, is wasteful for some services it does fund, impacts poorer students the most, and its abolition does not equate to the destruction of student unionism. #Axe the SSAF

More crucially is the fact that SSAF is universally applied to all areas of study.

This is not a tax upon high cost study areas such as medicine or the veterinary sciences. This is a tax imposed upon students regardless of their faculty, course, year of study, age or any other socio-economic criteria.

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CORONA FASCISM Words by Stasi Kapetanos

Fascism! Like all words denoting some form of political condition or worldview it’s a much-abused term, often wrongly used to describe when the state does stuff or when someone uses violence or even when protestors look just a little intimidating.

Nonetheless, it is very real and who could think of a better time for its emergence than our current time of cynical politicking, hostile nations, economic stagnation, a climate crisis, weaponisation of xenophobia, a culture in turmoil, an increasingly desperate youth and on top

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of that, a global pandemic that’s locked us inside, isolated us from one another and even has some of us fearing for our lives.

Unlike our other ‘-isms’ socialism, communism, liberalism, etc. there is no real set of philosophical principles or universal truth to fascism. Instead it relies on a devotion to some sort of group, whether it be of a state, ethnicity, race, caste or even religion and all questions of morality and reason are considered in terms of relevance to the group and its triumph over others. (R. Paxton, The Five Stage of Fascism, 1998)

You could consider fascism to be identity politics gone too far, although we should recognise that the African-American civil rights movement, for example, is extremely fundamental unlike fascism in that it appeals to universal principles as the reason as to why the identity it champions deserves equality and freedom. This is in stark contrast to white supremacists who argue for their group to take complete power and render everyone else either subservient or exterminated.

As the early 21st century is beginning to appear more and more like the early 20th century, we can point to trappings of fascism everywhere, whether it’s in Trump’s calls to end lockdown early for the sake of the nation’s economic growth, or the British government’s policy of relying on ‘herd immunity’ both of which could lead to the deaths of hundreds of thousands, and potentially even our own government’s latest willingness to abandon international students in this time of need.

Eco-fascism? It sounds like slander made up by a mining barron curious about a short-lived career in politics but nontheless is also very real. It is defined by an attitude of sacrifice of certain individuals for ‘the benefit of the ecological whole’. (M. Zimmerman, Encyclopaedia of Religion and Nature, 2008)

Of course we do not have aggressive mobs and political persecution like the fascist regimes of the 20th century, but our willingness to throw certain individuals onto the alter of the Dow Jones without real cause for the sake of the group also reeks of eco-fascism. On the topic of fascist regimes, Italy’s Matteo Salvini and Giorgia Meloni, the more popular than ever ideological and literal succesors the World War Two era dictator Benito Mussolini, and de facto leaders of the Italian opposition, have been running around Italy at first minimising the seriousness of the virus, and then spreading anti-Chinese conspiracy theories about coronavirus being lab manufactured and utilised the opportunity to fearmonger about immigrants, casting them as the carriers of the virus despite the fact that Italy has more cases than all of Africa.

The most prominent examples of this are the Unabomber and the Christchurch shooter, both of whom believe that the right course for humanity, the environment and the ‘white race’ is to cull certain individuals while reversing techonological and social changes that led to modernity.

Malthusian arguments about the world having too many people to be sustainable also reek of eco-fascism and those considering eliminating vast swathes of people on that basis are most definitely eco-fascists.

Corona-fascism!? No, swans haven’t ‘returned to Venice’ because of corona and the fish won’t dance in the street if millions were to die or disappear. Under these uncertain times brought by the coronavirus, rumour and paranoia have fuelled bizare and outrageous circumstances onto us all, from the rumours of toilet paper shortages and the actual toilet paper shortages they caused, to fake news about a re-wilding in the cities of Italy.

A resurgence of fascist sentiment is being exacerbated by the coronavirus. Will the politics of this period of history be rembered for these sentiments like the previous century is, or will we remember our principles and uphold a universalist ethics that reject sacrificing individuals for the sake of the whole? Why don’t we mold our societies into something that defend everyone? From our elderly relatives to international students and everyone in between!

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Australian education system:

don’t forget your future citizens Words by Mirco Di Giacomo

I am a Permanent Resident (PR) of Australia. Every day I’m grateful for the amazing opportunities Australia has given me and I am proud to be a part of this amazing community. Because I am a Permanent Resident, and because I love and believe in this country’s values, I feel obliged to discuss a concerning trend which disadvantages PR students like myself. Now, compared to international students, for instance, PRs are significantly more advantaged: unlike them, PRs in fact benefit from the Commonwealth Supported Place scheme (significantly reducing PRs’ university fees). This is to say that the support PRs are receiving from the education system is, however, reducing.

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The following two examples illustrate this trend: Until January 1 1996, PRs used to be eligible for the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) loan, meaning that they could defer their student contributions to the Australian Taxation Office like an Australian citizen. Since that date, however, PRs ceased to be eligible for HECS loans.

When once PR students used to be able to defer their fees on census date, today’s PR students who fail to pay their university fees before the deadline are automatically and irreversibly unenrolled from their courses (and cannot reenrol). I personally know PR students who have been waiting many years, unable to enrol in university as they could not afford the student contribution, waiting to be eligible for citizenship first, and then waiting even further for their application to be processed by the Federal Government.

In the meantime, they fall behind their peers who are able to put their financial obligations off to a more convenient date. No such support is available to PRs, regardless of personal circumstances.

Similarly, the decision to exclude PRs from all the New Colombo Plan (NCP) grant scheme also demonstrates a pattern of diminishing support for PRs. The NCP is a government program funding overseas learning experiences such as study tours, exchanges, and internships. The impacts of this decision on PRs was further aggravated just last year by the discontinuation of a similar program for study exchanges, the Endeavour Leadership Program (ELP).

The ELP, unlike the NCP, previously allowed both citizens and PRs to apply and benefit from the opportunities that studying abroad could give them. To recap: there is no government grant comparable to the NCP or the ELP supporting PRs in their decision to study abroad while residing in their host country.

Of course, a PR and citizen of Australia are not the same thing. There must be some differences between these two categories, or making the distinction at all would be pointless. As a PR myself, I am not questioning the importance of maintaining this difference. However, I find it worrying not only for PRs but for the very future of Australia to discriminate when it comes to such an important economic asset as education. After all, PRs are virtually future citizens of Australia. In fact, being a PR means to have the right, according to the Department of Home Affairs, to “remain in Australia indefinitely”, and becoming a PR is generally a compulsory step to citizenship by naturalisation. By putting barriers for the study opportunities available to PRs, Australia is running the risk of creating a second-class citizenship. It’s not only

unfair to these future citizens, but also sets back the strength of our Australian community at large. A community can be pragmatically seen as the sum of its people’s strengths and weaknesses and one of the reasons behind supporting citizens’ education is to create a more competitive workforce in the future; hence, surely it is in the interest of all that each member of our community is enabled to contribute as much to it, economically and socially. Thus, given PRs are permanent settlers, investing in (and divesting from) the education of PRs is hardly different from investing in the education of current citizens: it is important for those in charge of the Australian education system to understand this soon, or else we run the risk of ushering in a generation of second-class citizens, and by extension a less competitive, economically, and vibrant, socially, community.

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Juries and the fallout from the Pell case Words by Felix Eldridge On the 7th of April this year, the High Court of Australia quashed multiple child sexual abuse convictions against Cardinal George Pell, to significant public outcry. It is my view that the legal grounds used to quash these verdicts undermine the jury system in Australia.

Now, there are several important reasons why a guilty verdict can and ought to be overturned. The most common is a question of law or fact. This includes the discovery of new evidence proving innocence, claims that improper evidence was shown to the jury, or misleading interpretations of the law being issued by the trial judge. These would all justify an appeal.

However, there appears to be another grounds for appeal, one that was accepted in this case. The High Court concluded that a rational jury should have doubted Pell’s guilt based upon the evidence provided.

Specifically, that Pell’s statement, which was contradictory to the statement of his accuser, was not disproved beyond reasonable doubt by the prosecution.

In my view, this ground for appeal is inconsistent with the jury system in Australia. The basic foundation of such a system is that a jury verdict, subject to appeal based on the two criteria I mentioned, is final. Even more importantly, the reasons for coming to such a verdict are not only secret, but beyond reproach.

In the Australian legal system it is up to the prosecution to prove “beyond reasonable

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doubt” that the accused is guilty. This does not mean that the prosecution must convince the jury that the accused “might be” or “probably is” guilty; it means that the jury must be absolutely sure that the offence was committed by the accused before returning a guilty verdict.

It is traditionally considered a lofty but ultimately fair threshold to convict. At least 10 jurors – sometimes even all 12 – must vote either “guilty” or “not guilty” for a verdict to be returned. This ensures that the prosecution’s evidence must be sufficient and overwhelming to convict someone of a serious crime.

As a society, we put the utmost faith in a jury system that understands this concept and only makes a decision based on sound evidence. Courts go to great lengths to make sure jurors understand the implications of their verdict. In return, we trust that a jury will resolve the issue impartially and accurately, especially since it has the liberty of making this decision without public or judicial interference.

However, this trust is broken by the court system every time the appeal mechanism is abused.

In Pell’s case, the High Court appears to have determined that the jury should not have conceivably reached a guilty verdict.

It concluded that a rational jury should have had doubts as to the guilt of the accused based on the evidence provided. Hence, the jury theoretically could not reach a guilty verdict at all because if there is “reasonable doubt”, then they should vote to acquit. This is a disturbing precedent

as it implies that jurors are not capable of determining guilt beyond reasonable doubt based on the evidence before them, which is exactly what we expect and teach them to do.

The standard of “beyond reasonable doubt” is subjective and each juror interprets evidence or arguments differently. Ultimately, if a jury genuinely believes that someone is guilty beyond reasonable doubt then it is entitled to make that verdict. Equally, if a jury genuinely believes in someone’s innocence, or that there is reasonable doubt in their guilt, then it is entitled to acquit.

The fact that judges can not only arbitrate in matters of fact and law, but can also determine what conclusions a jury should draw from evidence and argument, is disturbing and draconian conduct.

Consider the implications of this precedent.

For example, take a rape case involving two contradictory statements from the accused and the victim. Theoretically, the case could only lead to acquittal, since the contradictory testimony should, as in the case of Pell, “cause a jury to doubt the accused’s guilt”, thus failing to meet the threshold of “beyond reasonable doubt”.

This may have implications for other kinds of offences as well.

It is my view that while there are some legitimate grounds for appeal, questioning the subjective reasoning of the jury’s deliberations should not be one of them.

It damages the implicit trust we place in the hands of jurors, throws into doubt the credibility of jury decisions, and may set the precedent for similar overreach by judges in the future.

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Gratitude and guilt. Meet social media. words by Auriane Wright

This idea of gratitude and guilt in social media was sparked yesterday when someone commented on one of my pictures that I didn’t know how lucky I was. I know this comment was meant to be kind but resonated quite bitterly with me for some reason. I consider myself a very lucky person and always have.

I’m grateful for my family, friends and opportunities that are in my life.

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Yet, whenever someone points out to me how lucky I am, one of the first things I feel is guilt amongst other feelings. I feel guilty because I feel like I’m the one making them feel less lucky (feeling not fact) or that by pointing it out they think that I don’t realise how fortunate I am. This led me to question whether I externalise my gratitude enough and then I thought of how often I hear others express gratitude. We tend to bond over hassles and misfortune.

How many times have you started a conversation with a stranger by talking about a common hassle or annoyance towards something? Perhaps we

find it easier to find compassion for someone less fortunate rather than more fortunate than ourselves.

So: would publicly acknowledging how grateful we are work out for us?

And is social media a platform for it?

Short answer? Sorry, no definite answer from me. I am puzzled!

Long answer: a quick Google search would tell you that you should do so but in practice I’m not sure that would work out. From my experience, when people express how grateful they are for this or that it can come across as showing off. I guess Instagram can be a weird place, where there is a fine line between what is considered a gratitude post or a show-off post.

As an extension to the answer: there is a side effect to the way some of us social media users live, with digital lives and real lives that don’t always look alike (I’m thinking influencers at an impersonal level and high school acquaintance at a more personal level). On social media most people only share the bright side of their life, and so we have developed a reflex of comparing our life to the ‘happy’ side of people’s life they share online.

There’s always more to a picture or a story. Social media in no way reflects every aspect of someone’s life or reality and therefore shouldn’t be used to benchmark your reality. Our lives are all different and it is not a competition or topic of comparison.

On that google search quest, I also came across an article that suggested to switch out phrases like “lucky you” for “happy you’re enjoying it” or “Good on you for getting that job” or asking questions like “What was your favourite moment?”, or “What are you looking forwards to the most?”. Just something to think about!

The conclusion I want to make for this article — that merely scratches the surface of the topic let’s be honest — is: being grateful and appreciating the simple things (for example, the luxury of double/triple ply paper toilet that we are missing during this COVID-19 period) is an essential step to feeling lucky. Not an original thought but just a reminder to stop comparing ourselves to others especially on social media! Be at peace with people’s “luck”, but most importantly find your own. Feeling lucky starts in your mind!

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Love in the time of Covid Words by Larisa Forgac You peruse Tinder on a warm autumn night during lockdown. You match with a girl, she is beautiful, bubbly, intelligent – you would do anything to impress her. You turn back to older methods. When meeting a girl for a date is no longer an option, a handwritten letter is sure to leave a mark and secure that date for later.

One day you glance to your right and you see him at the wheel of a small, outdated Holden. You give a chuckle – of course that’s what he drives. As the lights turn green he gives you a content look and a cheeky grin. For the few seconds that you travel abreast, your silent commitment is stronger than anything else.

You seal the letter carefully and send it to her.

“Australia Post is experiencing disruptions at this time, please expect delays”. Your letter never arrives. She has moved on and chosen a different person to be her legally allowed house visitor.

“Small latte, one sugar for Sam!” “Here’s your latte Sam, enjoy.”

“There you go Sam – the usual!”

“Sam! Back for seconds! Don’t worry about this one, it’s on us.”

You used to take the bus into town every day. You still do in fact, less often, but he is no longer there. The long, monotonous rides were made bearable by his presence.

He would never sit next to you but there was always a silent acknowledgment between you – a look, a smile, while you both continued on listening to your own music.

He must have stopped taking the bus. And you understood, your silent commitment was not stronger than the danger of the virus. You start riding your bike to work instead, silently missing the banal interaction with complete strangers.

You start looking at the people in cars at every red light. You enjoy peeking into their little lives, imagining where they are off to.

It feels like the long commute on the bus again, but without him.

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“Cappuccino for Sam? Changing it up a bit ey?”

“Here’s your latte, stay safe! Hope to see you soon!” *** “We have had to close our doors temporarily. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to welcoming you again in the future.” *** “Shall we change it up a bit today, Sam?” you say as you press the button on your coffee machine.

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Why communism doesn’t work Words by Joe McCicerathy Communism is a political and economic theory that advocates for the abolition of private property and the equal distribution of resources in a classless society. While a significant part of the theory is based in economics, the fundamental concern of Communism is the way political power is vested and exercised. Communism looks genuinely appealing on paper: everyone does their fair share of the work and receives an equal share of the fruits of their labour. I would also like to differentiate Communism at a national level from communal ownership at a village or kibbutz level, which can be a model for a functioning, small-scale community. However, at the national level, Communism simply does not work. The issue is not with the theory of Communism, but the practical application of it.

Communism has failed everywhere it has been tried. Russia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Cuba, North Korea and a whole host of nations in Eastern Europe and South America have all tried it and all have failed.

Communism consistently leads to mass killings, political repression and economic instability. Consider the following examples from history: Vladimir Lenin, the first leader of the USSR, had 10 million people killed. His successor, Joseph Stalin, doubled that figure to 20 million. From its origin, the Soviet Union politically repressed its population. From the 1917 revolution onward, all parties other than the ruling Bolshevik party were banned.

Free and fair elections were also prohibited, and the secret police routinely rounded up dissidents and perceived “traitors” who were sent to the gulag or to the firing squad.

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The policies of the Soviet Union, especially in the first half of the 20th century, caused severe economic turbulence. For example, Lenin’s policy of seizing land from wealthy farmers provoked widespread famine, and the output of goods plummeted. In contrast, when he implemented the New Economic Policy, a policy more similar doctrinally to capitalism than Communism, the economy started to recover. While there are some benefits to a planned economy, the USSR’s quota-based production of goods led to shortages of certain basic supplies.

The problem was that these goods were produced to fulfil arbitrary, bureaucratic targets, not to actually meet demand.

Massive spending to keep a large standing military, and later to develop nuclear capabilities, further stunted the consumer economy and reduced the standard-of-living for working class Russians.

In China there were around 30 million deaths during Mao Zedong’s regime, with almost an additional 20 million deaths due to famine caused by economic mismanagement. Similarly to Russia, the incumbent Communist Party banned political opposition shortly after gaining power, and any suspected “counterrevolutionaries” were quickly locked up or killed. Human rights abuses continue in China to this day against dissidents and ethnic minorities.

While China’s economy had been devastated by the Chinese Civil War, the Communist Party’s economic policy of quickly shifting from agrarian to industrial output severely hurt both the economy and the people. But since former president Deng Xiaoping opened the economy to

Western investment and implemented free trade policies, China’s economy has grown to become one of the largest and most powerful in the world.

In Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge practiced genocide and murdered at least 1.5 million people, almost a quarter of Cambodia’s population. This genocide targeted the intellectual class of society: teachers, religious figures and political opponents of the regime. Religious and political repression was rigidly enforced in a systematic policy of state terror. The mass killings resulted in a dire shortage of workers, and huge numbers of citizens were conscripted into the labour force from the cities, and relocated to the countryside. Furthermore, the extermination of teachers, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals hurt the economy long after the killings themselves stopped, leading to a shortage of skilled labour.

Apologists for Communism will argue that ‘Real Communism’ has never been tried. I wholeheartedly agree with them, because far from being a defence of Communism, their argument is a damning indictment of it.

Most Communist regimes have not followed Marx’s and Engels’s writings, which instruct that there must be multiple revolutions carrying society from feudalism to industrialism, then to socialism, and then, finally, to Communism. Leaders such as Lenin, Mao, and Castro skipped these stages, and were instead concerned with seizing power at any cost. While ‘Real Communists’ will argue that they were bad apples within the broader history of Communism, they were the only ones who managed to successfully attain power. No successful and longstanding Communist regimes were ever established at the ballot box.

‘Real Communism’, whatever that term means, cannot conceivably exist.

In countries where Communists have attempted to engage in the political process, voters have almost universally shunned them. Equally, when seizing power through a violent revolution or a civil war, the Communists will never hand over power to the people because its leaders will never feel safe from reprisals, nor wish to give up the creature comforts attached to public office.

At the end of the Russian Civil War, Lenin not only turned on the remaining nonCommunist political entities, but even those in his party who were not personally loyal to him. In China, the current Communist government could have picked any number of recent years to enact democratic reforms and transition into a multi-party system of governance, yet it never has. For, why would someone like Xi Jinping, who is an Emperor in all but name, ever want to? Even those countries that have softened some of their more militant Communist policies, like Cuba, have only done so due to suffocating sanctions from the West. In essence, those who have the opportunity to achieve ‘Real Communism’ have no willpower to implement it, while those who have such willpower will never have the opportunity to achieve it. ‘Real Communism’ is a catch-22 and thus impossible to achieve.

The great experiment of Communism has been repeated across the world over and over. In all the petri-dish tests, each with different languages, cultures, and economic conditions, it has uniformly been a disaster.

It is time that we accept it doesn’t work and move on. While liberal democracy and capitalism by no means represent a picturesque political and economic system, they historically indicate a much fairer and more stable form of governance than any Communist movement has ever accomplished.

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artist spotlight

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sarah boese

INTERVIEW BY LARISA FORGAC ARTWORK BY SARAH BOESE SARAHBOESE.COM.AU

How did you get into making art? Where does your passion come from?

S: I think a lot of my passion stems from the challenge of perfecting certain skills as well as the satisfaction that comes with being able to visualise ideas and feelings, the ability to invent worlds and tell stories. I’ve loved art since I was a child, I focused on it as a subject all throughout primary and high school and then university where I got my degree in Design and Illustration. Being artistic had been a huge part of my identity ever since I can remember.

Can you tell us a bit about your journey of becoming a mural artist? How did you decide this is the medium that you wanted to use for your artwork?

S: I have always admired street art, and started to show a specific interest in it during high school and was probably sparked during my first trip to Melbourne where it seemed to be everywhere at the time. I certainly didn’t plan to become a mural artist but it has become my favourite part of my creative practice. I first got into painting with aerosol during a short

mentorship, about 5 years ago, with a local street artist when I the opportunity to use and learn how to use spray paint and assist with a few large scale projects. Ever since I’ve enjoyed the speed, vibrancy and scale that it offers as a medium.

What are some of the challenges of your work?

S: At times it can be quite physically demanding work. One of my biggest concerns is when I paint for too many consecutive days there is a risk of developing RSI in my hand and fingers which is very frustrating and painful.

Typically my work is out doors so I am exposed to the elements; wearing the appropriate PPE and staying hydrated is very important in the warmer months. Another challenge is working around wet or windy weather, it can be hard to predict what the weather is going to do which can be awkward when scheduling and hiring equipment.

Working in the public realm can be challenging at times, especially working for councils as they have high expectations of an artists ability to deliver work that inclusive and reflects the communities, identity and values. This means finding a balance between

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in a wide variety of environments; so I guess my appreciation for these things continue to find their way into my designs.

Who are role models in art and design?

creating work that the overall public can appreciate but at the same time staying true to personal artistic integrity.

You also do digital art, design logos and do promotional material for companies as well as illustrate children’s books – what avenue of your career do you enjoy the most?

S: Mural painting and children’s books are my favourite avenues of work, or at least what I am most proud of. Any format where my work is published or accessible to the public is great as I find it very satisfying to see the end result being enjoyed and shared by many people. Aside from this, I am generally most comfortable when creating artwork digitally.

Nature and animals are recurring motifs in your work, and bright, flowing designs are the staple of your murals.

What inspired you in developing your unique art style? What themes do you like to explore through your work?

S: I’ve always been drawn to bright, bold colours and organic forms so they work their way naturally into my work. I also like to use a lot of symbolism, often through narrative and the representation of different creatures and animals. I never cease to find beauty in nature and I personally enjoy being outside, around plants and animals

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S: My biggest inspiration would definitely be James Jean, others artists I admire include Aron Wiesenfeld, Lauren YS, Nick Sheehy, Lois van Baarle (Loish), Soey Milk, Matt Gordon, Bradley Eastman (Beastman), Troy Brooks, Hilda Palafox, Pref, Joanne Nam, Nychos, Tristan Eaton, Etam Cru, Telmo Miel.

What do you enjoy the most about the Adelaide art scene? How has it shaped you and how do you fit into it?

S: Adelaide is home to so many talented artists and designers and being such a relatively small city, we have a high concentration of murals, installations and public art. It feels great to contribute and be a part of that. Since I branch out into many different fields of works I have begun to see there there is a strong sense of community in different circles of creatives. I feel the art scene here has really blossomed in recent years, and the people involved who I have met or worked with along the way, I have found to be generous, kind and brilliant. Our art scene has shaped me in the sense of wanting to push my ability to create unexpected and meaningful content and focus on finding my own artistic voice. It has encouraged me to be resourceful, resilient and open minded.

“It’s hard to explain”:

the new abnormal and the legacy of the strokes words by ivan bucalo The very first sound on The Strokes’ debut album, Is This It, is a descending lick which could just as well be a summary of the whole album and of the band’s place in rock music history. It’s the sound of waking up to a hangover, and the tracks which follow it are sort of like a crisis in which their brainchild, front-man Julian Casablancas, realizes there’s more to life than sex, drugs, and rock and roll – but he doesn’t have a clue what it is.

The band which wrote and recorded The New Abnormal is not the same band that released Is This It. Somewhere over the course of six LPs, they traded a just-don’t-care DIY charm for a more elaborate, synth-laden sound which Casablancas ran wild with on his side project, The Voidz. To me, the Voidz has always seemed like an outdated idea of what rock music would sound like in the future: this is a decent track, but what would make

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it great is more distortion. If you wanted to be cruel, you could argue that The Strokes themselves worked on that very same ethos — they weren’t called a garage rock band for nothing — but I would respond that their secret was a bit more refined than that: great hooks, great lyrics, and a willingness to sound organic, like these really were a bunch of friends who got together one weekend, jammed for a few hours, and created sheer brilliance. They weren’t worried about pushing the envelope or being innovative.

When it goes wrong, innovation is nothing more than a signpost of the times.

The New Abnormal is a signpost of the times, and the times seem to be very confused.

What more is there to be done with rock music? How far can you really go with the basic formula of guitar, bass, and drums?

Surprisingly, Casablancas goes softer and

slower. The opening track, “The Adults Are Talking”, tackles the crowning theme of his songwriting: indecisiveness, and with a beautiful new falsetto that disappears behind an overproduced wall of sound courtesy of Rick Rubin. Luckily, despite the shellac polish on the whole album — which means that individual band members rarely get a chance to shine as instrumentalists and the lyrics become more decorative than functional —Casablancas’ lyrics do occasionally break through (And then you did something wrong, and you said it was great / But then you don’t know how you could ever complain). Yet, the writer who penned lines like: Now my fears, they come to me in threes / So I, sometimes / Say, “Fate, my friend, you say the strangest things…” and Work hard until it’s easy / Do it just to please me / Tomorrow will be different / So this is why I’m leaving…

— lyrics that could be psalms for young people growing up in this century — is gone.

He grew up, in other words.

What then remains as the driving force of The Strokes’ sound? There aren’t any particularly memorable riffs except for “Bad Decisions”, which, judging by my research, ripped off two well-known hits (improving on them both, which is The Strokes’ modus operandi).

The real answer is that there isn’t one. There are rich sonic textures on this album, with plenty happening on a chord-by-chord level, often too much. “At the Door” and “Eternal Summer” are outliers in this respect, and the best tracks on The New Abnormal because they sound like more than just proofs-ofconcept that haven’t quite been fleshed out.

The former is a clear sign that Casablancas is a student of one-time collaborators, Daft Punk. But even Daft Punk know that good music is music with direction. There are some memorable lead lines here; but there are also piles and piles of sound heaped on each other without care.

However – and it’s a big however – Casablancas has certainly proven he is an artist for whom one shot is never enough, to quote “Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus”. The New Abnormal is comparatively restrained to his more recent work, and it seems to be aiming toward something, even if that something is nebulous. Perhaps there’s a part of me that’s asking too much from another Strokes album, which is not just a great artistic product, but a manifesto. Is This It is an album for a mood which is not quite apathy, not quite carefreeness, but a sublime in-between that keeps you wanting to go back, again and again, just so you can figure out what exactly that feeling is.

A great album is more than the sum of its tracks. It becomes a mood in and of itself.

Now that they’ve gotten past the hangover — but what a party it was — they need to channel on something else. When they do find it, they’ll be The Strokes only in name: perhaps for the worst, perhaps for the best.

Regardless, I’m with them every step of the way.

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The many lives of Africa in one raging colour Words by Habibah Jaghoori Here is an ode to all my brothers and sisters of colour.

Here’s to Philando Castile, the multiple gunshot wounds on your precious body, and here’s to your four-year-old girl orphaned by the wretched hands of pigs in uniform.

Here’s to Eric Garner, the number 11 because 11 times you said, ‘I can’t breathe’ as the blood lust savages held you down and here’s to your beautiful neck that deserved only to be caressed.

Here’s to Ariane McCree and your bound hands behind your back as the cowards lodged their bullets in your chest aiming at the thing that they were most afraid of: your heart.

Here’s to Kwame “KK” Jones, your pure smile winding up the beast whose only skill is to brandish and here’s to your friend whose eyes had to burn as he watched you be slain.

Here’s to the thousands upon thousands of lovers killed in cold blood by the brutal police.

Here’s to the sores on the hearts of your mothers and the ache in the backs of your fathers.

Here’s to the horrifically long violence people of colour have endured and here’s the to violence they are enduring now.

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Here is a message to blue people: all lives matter. You who exist in the guise of public servants, but you only serve the capital. You who only serve the sinister reality of white supremacist patriarchy.

You who uphold the institution of inequality, instability, fear-striking, paininflicting and blood-spilling values. Your work has allowed the seeds of hatred to be sown so deeply, that in the face of a crisis, racism shines arrogantly. As arrogant as your demeanour.

And finally, not as a side note but a wrap up, here is a message to Jean-Paul Mira and Camille Locht. The answer to your suggestion that vaccines be tested in Africa is this: Africa is not your lab rat.

Spewing venom so easily reflects a threatening illness so please either shed yourself from what made you say what you did or socially distance yourself from humanity.

Oh Africa, a country stained by hands that had no business coming close to you.

You matter and freedom is nothing less than what you deserve and what you will always be owed.

“Why can we never talk about the blood. the blood of our ancestors. the blood of our history. the blood between our legs.” ―- Nayyirah Waheed, Salt

Quarantine recommendations Words by the editors

Felix:

While I don’t study with music, I can recommend the ‘Hawaii 5-0’ theme song as a very uplifting beat to listen to if you’re brainstorming creative ideas. After all, it only took me two hours of listening to this song to come up with this idea.

Larisa:

I came up with a new watering schedule for all my houseplants, where I water one plant each day. It’s a win-win: I get a daily kick out of being a merciful goddess figure, providing sustenance to my plant subjects, and the plants won’t hate me for killing them with boredom-induced overwatering.

Taylor:

I recently read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell and was fascinated by the interesting structure, the individual style of each chapter, and the characters (particularly the pretentious Frobisher). The next step is to see how the film adaptation compares with the novel, but we all know how that usually plays out…

Nick:

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski is absolutely phenomenal. As a prequel to The Witcher series, it grounds you in the world and its characters. Drawing on traditional folklore to build a rich, medieval fantasy world, think Shrek crossed with Game of Thrones. What could be better?

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Tips and tricks for cooking during iso Words by Katie Moularadellis If you are in quarantine, please do not leave the house under any circumstances, and instead ask a loved one to do your shopping for you and have them leave it on the front door step.

Social distancing can make us all go a little bit mad; being stuck inside the house for weeks on end with nothing to look forward to other than the appropriately socially distanced food shop and maybe a walk as exercise. Good food, however, can be a godsend. Beans and bread and pasta and rice do not have to be as boring as they seem, and with the right recipe, they might just become your new staple and signature dish!

So, cool beans? Yeah, cool beans.

Beans are great for your digestion, very healthy, and cheap as chips. Per kilo, it’s even cheaper to buy them dried instead of tinned. One or two 500g bags of beans should be enough to keep you going through a 14 day quarantine.

Where to find them – canned beans are flying off the shelves at the moment, so take advantage of the dried stuff. If you can’t find your desired bean o’ choice in the dried stock section, this would be an excellent opportunity to take the quarantine equivalent of an overseas holiday and visit the world food aisle of your supermarket. Here you can find the Gaganis brand bags of little bean shaped gems from Eastern Europe. Bulk wholesale supermarkets like Gaganis and Omega Foods also have large stocks of dried

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beans, if you’re willing to make the trek out to them.

Preparation Tips – with any bean (kidney beans, white beans, black beans, and chickpeas – even if they are a pulse), soak them overnight in water before cooking.

Beans that have been soaked can be then cooked into soups such as Pasta e Fagioli or a classic Fasolatha.

If you want them tender and creamy and just generally cooked, ready to be added any dish you like, boil gently them for 2-3 hours until, you guessed it, tender and cooked. Take these beans and add them to chilli or Bolognese, mash them up in a food processor with fresh herbs, onion, and a little bit of flour to make a fritter batter that’ll blow your mind once pan fried, or pop them in a pot with a little bit of sautéed garlic and puree them with a little bit of butter or olive oil low carb alternative to mash potato.

Spicing up the Two Minute Noodles Two Minute Noodles. They may not be the healthiest. But they are the student’s bread and butter. Any sort of fried noodle that can be reconstituted in hot water is like gold these days. They’re also so incredibly versatile, and they are the perfect cheap base to a wholesome stick-to-your-ribs type meal.

Where to find them – literally any supermarket should have some stock of them. If not, then they will soon. There is no shortage of food in Australia, it’s

all about being patient. If you find that the fried noodles don’t agree with you when you cook them up, purchasing fresh noodles from an Asian grocer is not only a great alternative, but an awesome way to support businesses that have been hit hard through this crisis.

Preparation Tips – if you’re not prepared to eat the noodles as they come with the broth from the packet for 14 days straight, 3 times a day, there are so many ways to mix it up.

Adding some fresh vegetables to the broth is an easy way to mix things up. In a time where everyone is looking to buy shelf stable items, shopping from the fresh produce section can be your best bet. There is no shortage of fresh fruit and vegetables at the moment and they are a fantastic way to make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need. Switching to a more plant based diet is also a great way to save money if you’ve been stood down or laid off during this crisis. Adding an egg can also help make your everyday noodle a bit more interesting, either straight into the broth, egg-drop soup style, or topping your bowl with a boiled egg.

Of course, you can always use your noodles in a stir fry, but there are also plenty of recipes for things like ramen carbonara. The fact is, these noodles are cheaper and quicker than regular pasta, and can often be used in place of pasta. Be a bit creative if you’re on a budget or you can’t find what you’d normally use.

Bread, Baking, and Boredom Yes, everyone has been meme-ing about learning to make bread in isolation, but the reality is, bread making and baking in general is actually a lot of fun and pretty simple.

Where to find it – by it, I mean flour and yeast, the staples of bread (not to be mistaken with flowers and yeast, the staples of a failed Valentine’s Tinder date).

These commonplace pantry items are pretty much nowhere to be found at this point, so my advice is as previous; shop where you might not normally think to shop. You can get ten kilo bags of flour from Gaganis for around $25 (you might not actually need this amount of flour but you could probably go halves with a friend or your housemates). The point is, the essentials you need might be hiding in plain sight.

Now yeast might be a trickier catch, but that’s okay, there’s plenty of baked good that you can try your hand at that don’t require yeast. In fact, you can even still make bread. Think traditional Irish soda bread, bread made with beer, Naan flatbreads to have with your curry, or even fermenting your own sourdough starter.

If you do have access to yeast, then Bon Appetit have a quite magical no-knead focaccia recipe that’s perfect for aspiring bakers. Other non-yeasted items you could bake include flatbreads like Roti, cookies, cake, brownies, pie, scones, lamingtons, Pavlova, and muffins.

Preparation tips – read the recipes!!!!

Baking is an exact and precise science, and if you’re just starting out in the world of cooking, messing around with a recipe is the easiest way to mess it up. With cooking it’s very easy to create without a recipe, but baking, and specifically bread, is a science that you don’t want to mess with, at least not until you’re more comfortable baking.

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WHICH FACULTY DOES YOUR HEART TRULY LIE IN? Illustrations by Isobel Moore

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It’s time for a Zoom tutorial. What is your chosen virtual background?

a. A Studio Ghibli landscape

b. A field in Minecraft

c. An enlarged photo of bacteria

d. The Moot Court

e. The Solar System Something is really getting on your nerves. What is bugging you about your class?

a. A group assignment for a class you hate

b. Receiving a past exam with no solutions

provided

Time

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to a. b. c. d. e.

c. Terrible handwriting from your lecturers d. Nobody has shown up to the tutorial so you have to keep answering the questions e. The imbalance between practical and theoretical work

eat! What are you eating?

A vegan lunch A snag Something very nutritious Sushi and bubble tea Anything that will go down with a nice glass of red

Now that your work is complete, what will you do with your free time?

a. Apply for unpaid work experience

b. Play video games

c. Obsess over Mario and Daniela

d. Dream about going to Supers

e. Read articles from fields that you’re actually interested in

What shoes will you be putting on once you can go back to uni?

a. Thrifted Doc Martens 1461s with Happy Socks

b. Some humble sneakers

c. Shoes that will not give you blisters

walking down North Terrace

d. R.M. Williams that your dad helped

you pick out

e. Practical, closed shoes

MOSTLY As: Faculty of Arts MOSTLY Bs: Faculty of Engineering, Computer & Mathematical Sciences MOSTLY Cs: Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences MOSTLY Ds: Faculty of Professions MOSTLY Es: Faculty of Sciences

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your ultimate guide to dating the...

words by Sarah mclean Is your man child playing up? Are you unable to fix your man child?

Ladies, you are in luck. It is time we address the age-old question: what exactly is a man child and how exactly do we look after one?

For centuries, the man child has roamed the earth holding nothing but pride, insecurity and entitlement in its foetal sized heart. Numerous theories concerning the development of the male brain were proposed during the 20th Century, such as Sigmund Freud’s famous Oedipus Complex (1910) and Erik Erikson’s Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development (1950).

However, in line with most contemporary sociological theories which value lived experience, first-hand testimony seems to be the best place to start in explaining this complex phenomenon.

Many brave and commendable women have undertaken the notorious challenge of dating and, dare I say, fixing a man

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child. Based on the testimony of these women, I have created a new definition of man child which will be referred to throughout this article.

Man child Noun Noun: man child; plural noun: man childs An adult male (25+) who has the behavioural, psychological, and emotional tendencies of a child. These tendencies may include, but are not limited, to: • An inability to communicate his feelings • An avoidance of difficult conversations • Ignorance to social, economic and political climates • An insatiable desire to prove that he is not, despite popular belief, a man child • An undying obedience to his mum • Extreme loneliness and an expectation that a woman will fix him

An inability to communicate his feelings “He said he’s upset with me, but he doesn’t know why!”

- Woman #1 It is common knowledge that the key to a successful relationship is communication. However, the man child will wait until breaking up with you before telling you that he has been feeling distant for weeks. The man child will gaslight and accuse you of not understanding his feelings. He will not, however, tell you what his teeny-tiny sensitive heart so desperately desires.

Remedy: Maintaining a clear, one-sided line of communication should be a priority. This can be achieved by pestering your man child daily about his feelings and, more importantly, validating his responses. Be careful though; if you articulate yourself too well, he might throw a tantrum and crawl away. Kmart’s child-friendly harnesses are a great way of securing him during his outbursts.

An avoidance of difficult conversations “He dumped me because he didn’t know how to have a tricky conversation!”

- Woman #2 Man childs lack the ability to handle difficult conversations. Struggling to articulate oneself is not a crime; refusing to even respond to an issue, however, is disastrous. The man child will storm away from touchy discussions and physically isolate himself behind his impenetrable pillow fortress. Contact after this point is unattainable.

Remedy: Patience and low self-worth are crucial to preserving your relationship. By patience, I refer to the act of intentionally avoiding all difficult conversation topics. Breast-feeding your man child two daily doses of hyper-sympathy will also assist in the avoidance of difficult discussions.

Ignorance to social, economic and political climates “I thought he was joking but turns it he really thinks Black people shouldn’t get government benefits.”

- Woman #3 Man childs are notorious for being homophobic, racist and sexist. These common features stem from the little exposure man childs have had to the world. Man childs are overprivileged white men for whom opportunities are served on silver platters.

Remedy: Be gentle with your man child. After all, it is not his fault that he is overprivileged, or lacking the conceptual understanding of inequality. A good nursery rhyme or a gentle rock in bed will reassure him that he is hardworking and deserving of his many privileges.

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A desire to prove that he is not a man child “Living out of home is his go-to brag.”

- Woman #4 This is a sensitive one. Perhaps it is an imperative of being a man child that one recognises, deep down, that he is, in fact, a man child. The man child possesses an insatiable desire appear masculine, independent, and sexy enough for the underdeveloped tastes of female minors.

Christmas lunch is somewhat dreaded by the man child, because he is usually interrogated as to why he hasn’t been able to hold down any long-term relationships. Family events such as these put significant stress on the man child’s mother. She fears that her son will destroy her middleclass suburban family dream and has little to say in defence of his general incompetence.

Remedy: Unfortunately, it is difficult to conceal adult diapers. Baggy clothing is recommended, as is avoiding family events.

Undying obedience to his mum “I feel like she’s the real woman in his life.”

- Woman #5 He still does everything that his mum tells him to do. Nothing else needs to be said.

Remedy: Address him using a firm parenting voice.

Loneliness “I feel bad because I think he’s just lonely.”

- Woman #6 The man child is, at heart, lonely. Often left behind by his friends who are at more advanced stages in life, the man child feels misunderstood. The man child desperately craves a relationship that mirrors that of his friends but lacks the patience to let a relationship develop. He is in a rush to settle down. He wants to catch up. He dreads loneliness. Most tragically, he truly believes a woman will fix him. The man child will dispose of dozens in his quest.

Remedy: Don’t leave your man child unattended. If you do, he will get impatient that your twoweek relationship has not advanced to the same stage as his best friend’s two-year marriage.

Ladies, it is important to not be manipulated by the man child. A child grows up. A man child doesn’t. Where you will give 100 percent of yourself to your relationship, the man child will only give 30 percent. Maybe, when he’s thirty, his mum will show him how to use a vacuum cleaner.

He might learn to suck the life out of the spiders under his bed, rather than the human on top of it. By now it should be clear that you don’t need him.

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Film review: The Lighthouse Directed by Robert Eggers Review by Shea Gallagher

A nightmarish, crusty, flatulent, Gothic chamber piece about two lighthouse keepers — one a haunted enigma plagued by disturbing visions, one a salty sea dog seemingly prone to possession by the great god Triton himself, both of them apocalyptically horny and hiding a dark past — and their inevitable descent into madness.

Everything else is whatever you personally bring to this glorious Rorschach test of a film.

Robert Eggers returns to the isolation, superstition, and sexual repression of his previous film, The Witch, and takes them to the extreme: this time by maximising the impact of the setting through an audiovisual landscape reminiscent of the ceaseless industrial churning of Eraserhead and the claustrophobic sea-girt prison of Persona.

Eggers conjures up a wholly immersive experience that feels completely original yet shares these films’ themes of paranoia, identity and, of course, sex.

I bring up sex again because I think that’s at the core of The Lighthouse. None of the joke reviews that I have read hesitate to mention the depraved sexual energy that clouds the film like a thick fog, especially in regard to the relationship between Dafoe and Pattinson.

But as humorous as it may be to “ship” these two seamen or compare their incendiary squabble about the quality of Dafoe’s lobster cooking to the argument scene in Marriage Story, this is no joke. This is a film about men, in all their lust and violence and fear. Men

who spill their beans. Men who are slowly hollowed out and forced to gaze upon the void within themselves and fill it however they can, with not a single steak in sight and nothing to fuck but a hole in the mattress, or a wooden doll, or an all-consuming light...

Though sex is played upon the most viscerally (a couple images will forever be burned into my brain), other facets of masculinity — and all its toxicity — are explored in fascinating ways.

The allure of capitalism’s labour to reward mentality, the power dynamic between boss and employee, one generation against another, every facet of this film folds together and builds on this study of the male psyche at its most vulnerable and corruptible. It’s hardly a stretch to call this a dick-measuring contest between Dafoe and Pattinson as they butt heads in the lighthouse. Just look at the shape of the building they’re in.

This isn’t just a Freudian exercise though.

There are touches of the spiritual and the other-worldly. Body horror and cosmic horror walk hand in hand. The film gets at touches of transcendence through its surreal imagery and, most importantly, its relentless, overwhelming atmosphere.

The Lighthouse is a perverse delight, by turns horrific, histrionic and hilarious, aggressive and overbearing, it shocks you with its frankness and then confounds you with its opacity. It’s an absolute riot, albeit a deeply unpleasant and disturbing one.

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a Tragedy in the Fruit aisle Words and art by Theodora Galanis

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I was walking through the supermarket last week and, through my gloved hands, I heard an orange talking to me. She asked why everyone had started making banana bread? Had they forgotten how to bake with other fruits? Once the others saw that I was listening, they all started talking. I had to share their story. I went home, popped a Panadol, and started drawing.

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Punter’s guide to eating ass Words by Maxim Buckley *Note from the Editors* On Dit wishes to advise that during this time of crisis, please remember to practice social distancing and good personal hygiene.

Original article continues below.

Anyone who has an ass, lips or tongue can enjoy ass eating and so makes it just about one of the most inclusive sex acts the world over. Now, the anus and its related parts are also used for another thing, pooping. Poop, poo, faeces, shit or whatever you want to call it isn’t exactly the cleanest thing ever. A tertiary glance at The Conversation will show you that the solid fraction of poo is made up of 25-54% bacterial biomass of which 50% is live bacteria. One gram of wet stool can contain up to 100 billion bacteria so it’s not exactly like you’re doing something particularly clean. Fortunately, bacteria, like all living organisms on this good earth, are made from protein, so just think of them as a cool little snack mid coitus. Unfortunately, not all bacteria are commensal, with some potentially causing great harm to you, especially if ingested in large quantities.

Yes, ass eating, the apparent obsession of the millennial generation. 2019 saw ass eating come to the forefront as millennials the world overBook decided to take part Review - in the act or say they do just for the clout. Those Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay who say they do just for the clout are Let’s set the scene. You’ve spent a lovely clout chasers and are henceforth banned night at your favourite bar, it could be Words by Ngoc Lan Tran from this article.

Rocket, it could be Reds, it could be Lion Arts Factory, it doesn’t matter. The I study a Bachelor of Health and Medical point is everyone there has an anus.

Sciences and major in public health and You hook up with someone and you go I’ll be damned if I do not weight in on this back to your place. You chuck on some subject! So here it is, the punters guide to sexy music like American Football. For a eating ass. second you forget the depressing nature of the lyrics and are entranced by your sex Ass eating, salad tossing, whatever you partners bum. First you ask for consent, want to call it, involves the use of one’s you are given it and tongue at the ready, tongue or lips on the anus of another. you go in for the kill. But wait, you forgot

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about the third person involved in this scenario! Commensal bacteria. Here’s how you avoid it: 1. Wash your hands – hands are filthy!

You’ve spent a good portion of your evening out; I’ve personally never seen a club with a stocked soap dispenser and so your hands are extra filthy! Wash those puppies before you even attempt anything remotely sexual, especially the sticking of appendages into orifices.

2. Use a dental dam – these things are great, they’re little bit of plastic you can use to protect yourself during oral sex.

The best part about these things is that they protect you not only from bacteria, but also any other diseases or infections a person may have e.g. herpes. They can also be used by anyone!

3. Wash the area – have a sexy shower, soap up your hand and just really give it a full clean down there. There’s no shame in it, we all poop.

4. Try to eat the same diet as your partner – this is for those longer-term hook-ups. Studies have shown that those who eat a similar diet have extremely similar gut bacteria. For best results you’ve gotta be eating everything the same, same breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Even the same brands! That’s alright though, this is for the long-term ass

eater and I’m sure they’re pretty close to already doing this.

5. Anal douche – this should well and truly knock out any nasties hanging around but isn’t necessarily for everyone.

This is also something you should do before going out…unless your partner has a weird fetish for watching people shove water up their butt and then buttpeeing it out.

6. Take prophylactic antibiotics – this is absolutely a joke and should never be adhered to. I also am unsure if it would actually work since there are a wide variety of antibiotics that are either broad spectrum or specific to a certain strain of bacteria, so really it double wouldn’t work. But hey, free country or whatever.

7. Just refrain from the act all together – there’s no shame in it, it’s not for everyone. Some of us were made to go to chow town on the area, others just have no interest. You can get all Freudian about the issue if you want, but no one cares about your antiquated viewpoints bro.

Well, there you have it, the punter’s guide to eating ass. If you get sick from it but didn’t heed my instructions, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

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THE ENEMY FROM LES FLEURS DU MAL (1857)

BY CHARLES BEAUDELAIRE Translation by Darryl Do

My youth was a dark storm, Disrupted, here and there, by the sun’s gleam; Thunder and rain ravaged, And what remains of my garden are but a few red fruits.

Now, I have reached the autumn of my ideas, Employing, by necessity, the shovel and the rake To gather anew this flooded earth, On which deep holes like tombs are filled with water.

And who knows if the new flowers I dream of Will ever find, on this washed earth like the shore, The mystical nourishment that would restore their vigour?

- O pain! O pain! Time eats away life, And the obscure Enemy eats at our heart, On whose blood it grows and strengthens.

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Words by Emily Woodcock

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Pop quiz!

The immediate precursor to the current Student Representative Council (SRC) was known as: A. Student’s Association of the University of Adelaide B. Student’s Association of Adelaide Uni C. Association of University of Adelaide Students D. Student’s Collective of the University of Adelaide Which area of research did the University of Adelaide not contribute significantly toward?

A. Polymer bank notes B. Gene shears C. Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons D. Penicillin Which of the following roles did the current Chancellor of the University of Adelaide (Kevin Scarce) not previously perform?

A. Rear Admiral of the Royal Australian Navy B. Governor of South Australia C. Royal Commissioner into the Nuclear Fuel Cycle D. Deputy Vice Chancellor of Curtin University Which of the following people have not contributed to On Dit? A. Julia Gillard B. Shaun Micallef C. Sia Furler D. Colin Thiele Which building is not part of the University’s North Terrace frontage?

A. The Hub B. Mitchell C. Ligertwood D. Bonython Hall Send an email with your answers to us at onditmag@gmail.com! If your answers are correct, you will be able to collect a prize at a later date.

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