OPINION: Slacktivism ain’t it You shared that post. Yes, you feel good — but did it help?
Photo C/O Anders Nord By Adeola Egbeyemi and Caroline Bredin, Contributors One like helps clean one beach. Repost on your story to plant 100 trees. Share to save the bees! Slacktivism is a new and trendy form of online activism that, according to the United Nations, involves “people who support a cause by performing simple measures [but] are not truly engaged or devoted to making a change.” Slacktivism looks like reposts, retweets and...
OPINION: Disabled students deserve adequate support Educators need to re-evaluate their idea of accommodations
Photo By Cindy Cui / Photo Editor It was my second year of university and I was finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with my studies because I was having traumatic flashbacks every day and night terrors every night. I was seeing a counsellor and a doctor to address my poor health. Despite this, my marks continued to slip. Luckily, I was able to register with Student Accessibility Services when I realized I needed some extra...
OPINION: Exam culture puts students at risk Promoting all-nighters through memes normalizes unhealthy behaviour
By Kayla Freeman, Contributor Each year of university can feel like a new beginning, culminating in a gruelling session of final exams. Final exams are customarily used to test students’ comprehension of course material over the course of the semester. However, many students study for exams by cramming as much information as they can the week, or sometimes even the night before the final. This trend has birthed what is commonly dubbed...
OPINION: The privilege of forgetting Understanding the burdens of others is difficult if you don’t acknowledge them first
Photo by Cindy Cui / Photo Editor cw: misogyny By Roba Dekamo, Contributor Most people experience some level of privilege based on a combination of characteristics society considers integral to who you are. Some factors that influence privilege include your race, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity. Based on these characteristics, your life will be harder or easier, and unfortunately you don’t get a say in the...
OPINION: Chinese students aren’t brainwashed Chinese students at McMaster deserve to have their opinions heard — they do their research and you should too
Photo by Cindy Cui / Photo Editor By Anonymous, Contributor This article has been edited as of Jan. 19, 2020 A previously published version of this article stated, “Contrary to what many people in the West may believe, state-run news stories about China, although heavily censored, are in fact quite accurate when they do get published.” This has been corrected to, “Contrary to what many people in the West may believe,...
OPINION: The CSSA de-ratification from an SRA member’s perspective The process has been unclear, even though it shouldn’t be
By Eric Sinnige, Contributor Note: This article is from the perspective of an individual Student Representative Assembly member, and not representative of the whole SRA, or the McMaster Students Union. The Sept. 22 deratification of the McMaster Chinese Students and Scholars Association has been a frequent topic in the Student Representative Assembly and the Silhouette for the past few weeks, and an issue that the SRA has been aware...
