Hello there reader. Hope school’s been alright. Hope life’s been alright.
So here’s the second issue of the Iron Warrior this term. In many ways, putting this thing together went better than the first one. It took slightly less time, and there was very little to do in terms of initial set-up. Computer still blue-screened three times, but no harm done; been saving very frequently. In fact, it kind of gave me a nice 2-minute break each time. The fact that I wrote this Sunday evening and did not scramble to do it Monday morning is a good indication of how things went. Granted, I probably should be writing these before production weekend even begins, but procrastination is apparently my way of life.
The number of late articles increased dramatically this time around, probably since people are starting to get busier and busier with schoolwork. I myself still had two lab reports and an assignment due Monday that I could not start until Sunday evening, as well as two interviews and a presentation to prepare for later in the week. If I weren’t EIC, I probably would have skipped out on newspaper stuff as well. As frustrating as can be sometimes, it’s understandable, especially since a fair bit of you were ill. That being said….. START GETTING YOUR GOSH DARN ARTICLES IN ON TIME, THOU ARTLESS CLAY-BRAINED BARNACLES! I BITE MY THUMB AT THEE! Seriously, though. I reserve the most ire for those who don’t turn in articles at all, despite having said they would (I’m guilty of that too… sorry previous editors). Luckily, these cases are rare.
Thanks so much to Nancy Hui, the absolute bad-ass who wrote three articles, made the crossword, and still managed to come in and do Iron Inquisition and copy edit the majority of the articles in WordPress. Thanks also to Elizabeth Salsberg, for getting two columns written along with copy editing in my time of need. You both rock, never change (within reason, of course). I seriously doubt that this thing would have been finished in time without your help.
This issue covers quite a few topics, the most notable being the provincial election. Remember to vote if you can, and if you so choose to. If no party or candidate appeals to you, maybe the Point-Counterpoint will help you decide your course of action.
Be sure to check out the EngSoc updates, as they’re always informative and it looks like they have a lot going on this term. This includes the Joint Council Meeting, the ESSCO conference, various events, new stuff at the Novelties shop and, for those of us tired of Jobmine (i.e. everyone), switching to WaterlooWorks.
We’re also reporting on some of the things going on around the globe, including the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre in Beijing, the World Cup troubles in Brazil, and the recent Syrian election, occurring right in the midst of their civil unrest.
Vincent Magas’ Hit Replay is back, telling tales of the record player this time around. We also have a new column addition! Meagan Cardno is writing Game of Thrones Conspiracies, delving into the many theories surrounding Martin’s epic tale and its TV show. Read these at your own risk; spoilers are a given.
Moving on to the topic of this letter, which also seems to be the theme of most of this issue: the Provincial Election. Or rather, my boring run-of-the-mill election experience.
As someone who likes to be informed on such things, being allowed to actually have a say in the election results (albeit a small one) was kind of exciting. This was my first time voting, as I was just shy of 18 during the last election (also provincial) in Fall 2011, when I was in 1A. Eighteen-plus-two years of my life leading up to this. Alright not really, but there isn’t much else that we get to do when turning 18. We’re legal adults, yes, but it seems like 16, 19, and maybe 21 come with more incentives to survive to those ages. In Canada/Ontario, we reach the age of consent at 16, and are allowed to drive. Age 19 comes with what many might consider the fun stuff: buying alcohol and smokes by yourself so you don’t have to rely on other people to get it for you. You can start getting into clubs without a fake I.D. and there’s the added bonus that you no longer have to convince people that your name is actually McLovin’. Not that any of that applied to me anyway. Those teenage years were as boring as they could get.
Age 18 is a bit trickier, a little more obscure. I suppose getting away with criminal activity does become substantially harder at that age. An 18-year-old can go to jail for something that a minor might just get a slap-on-the-wrist for. We can join the (regular) armed forces without parental consent. You can also appear in porn once you turn 18, so I guess that’s something to look forward to if it’s in your future aspirations. For those of us for which none of the above applies, there’s not many more new privileges than voting. Well, that and we can also go see certain movies without being accompanied by an adult, because congratulations, we ARE adults! While the voting age has lowered from its roughly pre-WWII value of 21 years old, 18 is still arguably a haphazard number to set it at. Being a legal adult by no means ensures one’s ability to make an informed decision when choosing a political position or candidate to vote for. Perhaps the voting age can be further reduced in the future, a debate that has already begun.
Either way, with the way things are now, I’m of age and fully intend to exercise these newfound rights from here on out, unless I ever feel that it’s more effective not to. I voted at the advance poll held at the SLC on June 5, and it was every bit as exciting but also anticlimactic as I’d imagined it’d be. I actually hadn’t known they were occurring until a classmate mentioned it (thanks Amy!)…I really have been on the ball lately. Plus I wasn’t sure that I had the right support documentation to vote. Despite how much pain Bell internet has given me over the past few months, their bill sure came in handy as the utility bill/ proof of me living in Waterloo. Deeper research into the candidate platforms had to occur pretty quickly, but I like to think it was an informed decision.
I didn’t decline my vote, as I’d previously been considering. This was partially because I didn’t dislike the candidates equally, and also partially because I wanted my first ever vote to be an “actual” vote. So there, I did it. I performed my duty as a citizen in a democratic election. I drew an “X” on the piece of paper, folded it as per the diagrams given and placed it in slot on the cardboard box. It meant very little as an individual, but I guess it adds up when we do it en masse. That’s the thing with our current system of government. While certain individuals can exact a decent amount of influence, the average, ‘regular citizen’ can only spark change when joined by a large number of other citizens that are similarly insignificant individually. As I walked out the door, the kind lady thanked me for voting, and for the next few minutes I felt that I did a good thing, which perhaps I did. I keep hearing that it’s better than not having done anything at all in any case.
Whatever your plans for June 12, do what you think is most effective. It’s your choice whether you vote Liberal, PC, NDP, Green, or none of the above (not to be confused with None of the Above, an actual political party in this province). Just…do whatever. You’re allowed to.
Thanks for reading this slightly incoherent, choppy, sleep-deprived musing with no discernable point. If you’ve made it this far, I applaud you. I’m not sure what I hope to achieve with future editorials, but it’ll hopefully be more interesting with more substance. I was going to write about dinosaurs this issue, but I changed my mind. Perhaps I’ll do it next issue, or the one after.
Good luck with midterms, see you next issue!
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