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jacobsvoice · 3 years ago

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Brandeis: Learning on the Left

No other American city of proximate size and population is surrounded by universities and colleges like Boston. From center city to the suburbs Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern, MIT, Harvard, Tufts and Wellesley are highly rated. But there is only one secular (and flaming liberal) Jewish university among them: Brandeis, located in suburban Waltham.

Founded in 1948 and named after the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, it blossomed over the years to become a university overflowing with institutes and centers, among them Modern Jewish Studies, Investigative Journalism, Social Research and Women’s Studies. Its renowned alumni, with their left-wings flapping, include Thomas Friedman, Angela Davis and Abbie Hoffman.

Among its lesser-known professors is Stephen J. Whitfield, whose academic career of forty-four years was spent in the relatively marginal American Studies Department. He is the reverent author of On the Left: Political Profiles of Brandeis University (2020). With more than four hundred and fifty pages of text (many of which are extraneous to Brandeis), and one hundred pages of footnotes, it is not exactly light reading. It is difficult to imagine that anyone without a Brandeis connection would care to read it.

Names of important people with little or nothing to do with Brandeis – Harry Truman, Joe Biden, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Lyndon Johnson, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, Fidel Castro and Leon Trotsky among them–pass by so fleetingly that at times it feels like Grand Central Station during rush hour. Several pages are even devoted to Russian Nobel Prize winner Andrei Sakharov, whose only connection to Brandeis was the donation of his voluminous papers and letters to the library by his daughter.

Whitfield reverently dotes on alumni achievers whose Brandeis blood caroused through their veins. Among them, in excruciating detail: Michael Walzer, whose scholarly writing consumes fifteen pages; and Michael Sandel, praised in twelve pages for his You Tube lectures. Other chapters are devoted to foreign-born radicals on the faculty: Herbert Marcuse, whose career “dramatically” reveals “the radicalism of the 1960s” (twenty-one pages); and Bolshevik revolutionary Jean Louis Maxine van Heijenoort (six pages). Among left-leaning Americans who were ”connected” to Brandeis, Whitfield devotes twelve pages to Philip Rahv, co-founder and editor of Partisan Review; and ten pages to Dissent editor Irving Howe.

Whitfield is mesmerized by the impact of the turbulent 1960s on his beloved institution. Having taught in the History Department between 1965-70 I was all too familiar with the left-driven chaos by rampaging students who occupied buildings and ignited fires among their preferred strategies. The “radical spirit” that Brandeis exuded even prompted Newsweek to report “the atmosphere of barely controlled chaos [that] continued to build steadily at Brandeis.”

Whitfield’s wandering chapter on race relations at Brandeis begins elsewhere at another time. It includes Gunner Myrdal, the Swedish author of An American Dilemma, published before Brandeis existed; and Philip Roth’s The Human Stain, which had nothing to do with Brandeis. Nor did “spring theory,” the conceptual invention of Princeton professor and Nobel Prize winner Edward Witten. Whitfield seems eager to demonstrate the range of his research, including people and places far outside the Brandeis orbit.

Even when he focuses on Brandeis, Whitfield can be over the top with lengthy and doting narratives of his chosen people. Abbie Hoffman, the 1969 graduate and “radical Jokester,” consumes thirty pages having virtually nothing to do with Whitfield’s beloved university. But he deems it important to mention that Hoffman “gave the impression of liking hamburgers.” And he preposterously identifies Hoffman with “the ancient Hebrews, whose Bible describes them as stiff-necked.” It may not be inappropriate to ask: who, other than Whitfield, cares?

Whitfield’s propensity for hero-worship climaxes with ten pages devoted to Brandeis graduate Thomas Friedman, ironically deserving of recognition as the unrelenting and flaming liberal New York Times critic of Israel. But Whitfield’s overflowing recital of the wonders of Friedman reads as though he was worshiping at a Brandeis shrine–which, to be sure, he is.

Unwilling, or unable, to stop rambling (even by page 443), Whitfield concludes with a paean of praise for the university of his dreams (largely because he had no academic experience elsewhere). For no discernible reason other than his evident need for self-preening, his riffs include President Jimmy Carter and Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Clarence Thomas; the Hebrew word for “truth”; Hannah Arendt; and those who wonder “Will Jesus return to earth”–none of whom had anything to do with Brandeis.

Whitfield’s concluding words (at last) favor “an epistemological task – addressed to the young”–whatever that means. It is a shame that Whitfield’s Brandeis story is buried in irrelevant minutiae. The academic love of his life deserves better.

The Jewish Voice (July 23, 2021)

Jerold S. Auerbach is the author of twelve books, including Print to Fit: The New York Times, Zionism and Israel 1896-2016, selected for Mosaic by Ruth Wisse and Martin Kramer as a Best Book for 2019

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lexmagnum · 5 years ago

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Cases for the determination of the custody of infants are not within the criminal laws, but are civil actions however the question may be presented, whether by bill in chancery, petition to a court, or petition for writ of habeas corpus. The primary control and custody of the infant is with the government, and delegated to the natural or legal guardians so long as they are fit and suitable persons for the purpose and it is to the best interests of the child so to remain in such custody. McDaniel v. Youngblood, 77 So. 674, 201 Ala. 260; Ex parte Roberts, 85 So. 871, 17 Ala. App. 538; Wellesley v. Duke of Beaufort, 2 Russ. 1.

Criminal cases require an injured party, civil action does not. A civil action is to enforce contracts. Think about the contracts that might be in play here. Note the term “person” which should itself notify you that we’re not dealing with real life human beings.

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thedirectedimagejordantane · 3 years ago

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Photo Brief Context

Objective & Overview

To spotlight and explore the relationships between culture and how people identify with their culture

I wish to show the internal struggle and feeling of disconnect that some people from specific cultures such as Māori and Pasifika experience when it comes to how they fit in with their culture due to predominantly urbanisation.

No two people connect to their culture in the same way and the objective is to replicate this in my images. To portray this connection I will need to establish a Kaupapa with each subject.

Central image is a still portrait of subject in normal attire in the foreground. Background will be the same model but in their cultural attire and the image will capture their movement to reflect the internal struggle they each experience when it comes to how they identify with their individual cultures.

Target Audience

A lot of young Māori and Pasifika people can feel embarrassed and sometimes even mocked for not fully connecting with their culture. Everyone deserves the right to try and embrace their culture without being ridiculed. It is about each person’s journey, and it is not about whether they are completely fluent with a cultures language or know all aspects of their culture, it is about the journey that that person is on when it comes to them discovering and embracing their culture.

The target audience therefore is not just these young Māori and Pasifika people, but the wider Mana Whenua (traditional inhabitants).

Mood Board

Ohia, Tyone. Extended Whānau Ōtairongo. 2020. https://bestawards.co.nz/graphic/design-communication/extended-whanau/otairongo-2/

Wadman, Bill. Motion. N.d. https://www.billwadman.com/motion

Sagapolutele, Raymond. Siva Samoa. 2017. https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/64063

Resell, Stefan. Photography. N.d. Deviantart. https://www.deviantart.com/gesell

Sagapolutele, Raymond. Wild Dogs. 2019. https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/64063

Auckland Art Galley

I started to consider where to have an exhibition as I knew which direction I was going in and knew that I wanted to reach Urban Maori and Pasifika so the most logical place was in Auckland city and in particular the Auckland Art Gallery on the corner of Kitchener and Wellesley Streets.

The Auckland Art Gallery is one of the country’s most well known and iconic buildings which was founded in 1888. As the theme to my work is how Maori and Pasifika identify with their culture, then I could not think of a better place as the entire building is targeted at the culture of Aotearoa.

You enter though kauri columns and is home to the largest permanent New Zealand art collections. What better venue than this to exhibit my images as they will compliment the stunning art that is already there.

Auckland nz. “Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Auckland CBD” Retrieved from https://www.aucklandnz.com/visit/discover/arts-culture-heritage/art-gallery/auckland-art-gallery-toi-o-tamaki-auckland-cbd

Subject Matter Conventions: Bill Wadman, an American portrait photographer is well known for producing a series of blurred long-exposure portraits showing dancers in motion that he shot as slow shutter speed. Wadman shot this and the others in his series in a studio setting with a darkened background so as to not detract from the image. Like other images in his series, the only colour Wadman uses is red to add to the continuity of his series of images.

Composition Conventions: In order to capture the blurred motion shots, Wadman has used slow shutter speed which gives a dynamic and moving impact for the viewer. He has shot in symmetry and with blurring, there is very little negative space. This, was the viewer focuses on the entire image.

Camera Conventions: Wadman shot his entire series with a Canon 5D Mark II and a 35mm f/1.4 lens. The image is a simple exposure taken in a very dark room, with a single soft light source shining down on the dancers from above. Wadman used a 3-second shutter speed with his lens stopped down to f/11. The reason he did this was to prevent the depth-of-field from being too shallow as he wanted a motion blur rather than an out-of-focus blur.

Other Interesting Features: What is interesting about Wadman’s work is that the his whole ‘Motion’ series started as an experiment after he attended a lecture by a sports photographer who showed a slow shutter image of a boxer. The imagery inspired Wadman who initially planned to shoot a broad cross-section of subjects. This changed however after photographing a professional dancer where the results were exceptional, so he changed his focus to dancers in motion instead.

On taking pictures “BILL WADMAN PHOTOGRAPHER” Retrieved from http://www.ontakingpictures.com/~billwad/about.php

Wadman, Bill. Motion. N.d. https://www.billwadman.com/motion

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sportswriterdad · 3 years ago

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I am really starting to believe

I am running the Boston Marathon in April, helping raise money for the Bill Belichick Foundation. My goal is to give you guys some sense of what it all takes, so I’ll provide semi-regular updates. If you want to donate, you can do so here.

I had a really good running day Saturday — cold, in the mid-20s (but not the sort of cold that’ll freeze the snot in your nose), and with almost no wind. Some cloud cover, but still, not enough sun to be a problem. Honestly, another 10-15 degrees or so, it would have been ideal. I’ve been indoors on the treadmill for the last week or so because it’s been so cold (shout-out to Planet Fitness in Natick), but I really wanted to get outside on Saturday. Anyway, I decided to go 10-plus, starting at the Marathon’s halfway point.

Now, a lot of times, I’ve thought about running a modified route — going out, 2.5 miles in one direction, coming back to the halfway point, and then, running in the other direction and back for 2.5 miles. But on Saturday, I wanted a taste of Heartbreak Hill. It’s going to be the biggest challenge for me when it comes to the Marathon, and so I want to be as prepared as possible, right? Basically, the mental is just as big a part of this as the physical. You��ve got to believe you can do it -- look your anxieties in the eye and smile. Beating Heartbreak is going to be a major part of winning that battle.

So I plowed ahead, down through Wellesley, over Route 9, and into Newton Lower Falls. I went up the hill and the overpass, past Newtown-Wellesley Hospital. But by the time I got to three-plus miles, I was all in. No turning back now. Let’s get a little crazy. I had a mental check in — legs were OK, feet were OK, breathing was all right. So I made the right turn onto Commonwealth Avenue, feeling good about where I was physically, but still anxious about what was ahead.

With Run The Jewels ringing in my ears, I made great time up the first incline. That stretch is as absolutely as unforgiving as it gets. Just straight up for about 1/3 to a 1/2 mile. But it all worked. I actually picked up steam on my way up the first hill — not much, but if the goal is to be a little better all the time, every day, every workout, then I’ll take it. I got to the five-mile mark — the start of the second hill, where I have usually stopped and turned around in the past. But this time, I went forward, making it to the 5.25 mark. Again, not a huge move forward from what I had done in the past, but again, if the goal is to be a little better every day, then that’s OK by me. I turned around, ripped open a few Clif energy bites — salted watermelon, the absolute best — and headed back.

And the thing was? I felt good. Not good in the traditional sense, mind you. But I felt empowered. My splits over the second half of my run were faster than my first. I didn’t feel overwhelmed by the concept of extending my mileage along the toughest Marathon course in the world. I’ve been a runner for a long time, and I’ve been in training mode for a month or so now. (That was after spending a sizable chunk of the summer training for a half marathon on the Cape that was eventually called off.) But honestly, for the first time, I really felt like I could do this. Maybe it was the energy bites. Maybe it was the music in my ears along Heartbreak Hill. (Thank you, Wu-Tang and RTJ.) Maybe it was my new running shirt. But I feel like I am starting to believe.

There will be more battles with Heartbreak Hill between now and mid-April. There will be longer training runs. There will be days where I don’t feel as accomplished as I did on Saturday.

But for the first time, I can say it with some real conviction: I can run -- and finish -- the Boston Marathon.

As always, donate via this link.

#boston marathon

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joeygoespolitical · 8 years ago

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Hillary Clinton’s Self-Pity Tour Makes a Stop at Wellesley College

Hillary Clinton apparently has no intention of going away, even after humiliating herself on Election Night and her embarrassing months-long blame game she’s been stuck in since.

She made a commencement speech at her alma mater Wellesley College, an all-women’s college, to the class of 2017. The first ten minutes or so were fine. Clinton talked about her experience at Wellesley and cracked a few mildly funny jokes to an audience who laughs were so over-the-top such a laugh track could be used on an episode of The Big Bang Theory. Whatever, she had a crowd to please and she was doing it.

Sadly, it didn’t take long for her to pivot her speech from being about the graduates to being about herself.

Clinton is obviously still bitter about the election, so after she had yet another coughing fit, she took the opportunity at his commencement ceremony to make jabs at President Trump. She invoked Watergate, which occurred not long after she graduated back in 1969, when saying this:

“We were furious about the past presidential election of a man whose presidency would eventually end in disgrace with his impeachment for his obstruction of justice after firing the person running the investigation into him at the Department of Justice.”

A few things worth mentioning; 1. Nixon was never impeached because he resigned while the impeachment process was underway. 2. It was actually her husband Bill Clinton who was impeached for obstruction of justice (along with perjury) during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. And 3. the comparisons between Trump and Nixon are incredibly weak.

She went on to trash Trump’s newly-released budget plan by essentially calling it evil as she claims it would hurt the young, the old, the sick, the poor, etc and that it will put the country and the world at risk because it doesn’t do enough to tackle climate change. Wasn’t this speech supposed to be uplifting?

Here’s my favorite part.

The former Secretary of State gave a battle cry for the truth and warned the class of 2017 with this:

“You are graduating at a time when there is a full-fledged assault on truth and reason. Just log on to social media for ten seconds and it will hit you right in the face. People denying science, concocting, elaborate hurtful conspiracy theories... drumming up rampant fear about undocumented immigrants, Muslims, minorities, the poor, turning neighbor against neighbor and sewing divisions at a time when we desperately need unity....

And this:

“If our leaders lie about the problems we face, we’ll never solve them. It matters because it undermines confidence in government as a whole, which in turn breeds more cynicism and anger, but it also matters because our country like this college was founded on the principles of the enlightenment, in particular the belief that people, you and I, possess the capacity for reason and critical thinking and that free and open debate is the lifeblood of a democracy. Not only Wellesley but the entire American university system, the envy of the world, was founded on those fundamental ideals. We shouldn’t abandon them, we should revere them...”

And also this:

“As the history majors among you here today know, all too well, when people in power invent their own facts, and attack those who question them, it can mark the beginning of the end of a free society. That is not hyperbole, it is what authoritarian regimes throughout history have done...”

Why is this my favorite part? Because there is so much hypocrisy, it can clog an artery.

Let’s tackle the first portion. Clinton claims there’s a “full-fledged assault on truth and reason” and perhaps she’s right. There’s so much fake news out there that’s pushed by both sides. Most reports now solely rely on anonymous sources so that the media can essentially publish whatever it wants and not face any sort of consequence if something is debunked. She says people are “denying science”, which she is obviously referencing to climate change skeptics, but she doesn’t acknowledge the science deniers on the left who don’t believe chromosomes determine one’s gender and don’t believe that a fetus is a living thing. She says people are “concocting conspiracy theories”. Another valid point, but Democrats have concocted this conspiracy theory that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia without any sort of evidence! They’re jumping to a conclusion they want to believe while disregarding reality that currently lacks the proof. She says people are “drumming up rampant fear,” yet her entire presidential campaign was drumming up the rampant fear of Donald Trump. For nearly a year and a half, she basically told the American people “vote for me because Trump is the boogeyman.” And that’s partly why she lost because she had no message of her own.

Now onto the second portion. She says that when our nation’s leaders lie, it “undermines confidence in government as a whole, which in turn breeds more cynicism and anger.” Again, what she says is right but she nor President Obama have any sort of moral high ground on the subject of honesty. From lying about how you can keep your healthcare plan to the lies pushed about the Benghazi terrorist attack being sparked by an internet video, she’s making it seem like the Trump administration is the first to be dishonest. For goodness sakes, her husband Bill Clinton coined the most infamous lie in presidential politics when he said “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” When she says that “critical thinking and open debate are the lifeblood of our democracy” and that how “the American university system was founded on those ideals” I chuckled because the liberal left no longer believe in such principles. Democrats call you racist if you criticize Obama, or sexist if you’re against abortion, or homophobic if you’re against same-sex marriage, or xenophobic if you want to build the wall, or Islamophobic if you use the term “radical Islamic extremism.” They have no interest in having a civilize discussion on the issues we face because anything they see as politically incorrect enrages them and their knee-jerk reactions remove any sort of rationality. And while the university system used to be the epicenter of robust debate in America, it is now where “safe spaces” keep naive students in their own bubbles and where conservatives who is invited to speak on campus face violent protests and riots, which often times leads to the suppression of their free speech.

Finally onto the last portion, where she eluded to the Trump presidency turning our country into a dictatorship because they “invent their own facts” and that they’ll “attack those who question them.” Perhaps the clapping seals among the Wellesley graduates don’t recall all the facts Hillary Clinton invented. Just look at the press conference she gave at the UN just as the email scandal emerged. Everything she told the American people in March 2015 was a lie. She lied about not having classified information on her computer, she lied about having a private server for convenience. Heck, before he let her off the hook, then-FBI Director James Comey disproved all her lies during his infamous press conference. And the clapping seals don’t recall how Hillary Clinton is known for attacking those who refutes her, particularly her husband’s victims who she tried to bully and shame into silence.

In a speech that was supposed to be about the graduates, Hillary Clinton proved that not only is she the Queen of Hypocrisy, she’s still the biggest victim in her own mind. Instead of encouraging them to look forward to the future with optimism, she made them feel just as miserable as her.

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newstfionline · 8 years ago

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Hillary Clinton searches for role in age of Democratic division

Lauren Gambino in Washington, The Guardian, 19 March 2017

Wherever she goes--a hike in the woods near her Chappaqua home, at the theater for a Broadway show, delivering a speech to a room of women and girls--Hillary Clinton causes a stir. Fans ask for photographs. Crowds stand for extended ovations.

Such appearances have been rare. In the more than four months since her devastating election loss to Donald Trump, Clinton has largely resisted the spotlight. On Friday, however, she hinted that she is ready to return to public life.

“I am ready to come out of the woods,” Clinton said at the Society of Irish Women’s annual St Patrick’s Day dinner, in an apparent reference to the chance encounters with supporters while hiking.

She continued, saying she was ready “to help shine a light on what is already happening around kitchen tables, at dinners like this, to help draw strength that will enable everybody to keep going”.

For decades, Bill and Hillary Clinton have been central figures in Democratic politics. Since Hillary’s loss, Democrats have been divided over what her role in the party should be.

Some argue that her time has passed, and that the party’s energy is with the wing of the party loyal to the man she beat in the primary, Bernie Sanders.

“The era of Clintonism is gone,” said Winnie Wong, a co-author of the Women’s March guiding principles document and the co-founder of People for Bernie, an active grassroots group. “Finished. Finito. She lost.”

But others--especially her supporters who are now active in the opposition movement--are certain that she has a future in Democratic politics, even if it is not as a candidate.

“There is a reason why so many people looked to images of her in the days after the election,” said Jess McIntosh, executive editor of the liberal new site ShareBlue, and formerly of the Clinton campaign and Emily’s List. “People want to hear from her.”

After Clinton’s first post-election sighting, women started hiking in the Chappaqua area in hopes of running into her. The sightings inspired a sketch on Saturday Night Live and a Twitter account, “HRC in the wild”, which collects photos of supporters’ run-ins with Clinton.

While Clinton is a source of inspiration for some Democrats, for others she is a representative of the old guard. Such tensions played out in race for chair of the Democratic National Committee last month: the top candidates, former labor secretary Tom Perez and Minnesota representative Keith Ellison, were viewed as proxies in battle over the ideological bent of the party.

Clinton carefully avoided inserting herself into the deliberations over how the party should move forward in the Trump era. But ahead of the vote, she published a video urging Democrats to “keep fighting”. “I’ll be right there with you every step of the way,” she said.

Perez won and immediately appointed Ellison deputy chair. Together they have made a show of unity and have moved quickly to elevate young people. But is there space for a party elder such as Clinton?

“When people see her and hear her, it serves as a reminder that she is who most people wanted as president,” said Jesse Ferguson, the deputy national press secretary for Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

“She is a reminder to those organizing in opposition to Trump that the country can, should and wanted to be better.”

As the nation adjusts to the new realities of a Trump administration, Clinton’s plans, and especially her political ambitions, will continue to be a source of speculation and intrigue. How Clinton fits into the political moment is just one of the many unanswered questions.

Will she run again in 2020? A USA Today/Suffolk University poll taken after the election found that 62% of Democratic and independent voters said the two-time presidential candidate should not run again for president.

A rumor that she is considering a run for mayor of New York resurfaced this week--and a January Quinnipiac University poll found that if she mounted an independent bid against the current New York mayor (and Clinton ally) Bill de Blasio, she would win.

Wong, the co-founder of People for Bernie, said: “The governor’s race in Massachusetts: roll her out there. Send her to fundraisers. But do not send her to a town hall to talk about poverty in coal country wearing a $12,000 jacket and diamonds that are slightly more modest than Melania’s.”

A spokesman for Clinton, meanwhile, said that in the immediate future her plans include helping causes she believes in and writing.

Clinton is working on a book of personal essays that is scheduled for publication in the fall. The book, which is still untitled, will include “stories from her life, up to and including her experiences in the 2016 presidential campaign” and will be inspired by quotations she’s collected over the past decades, according to the publisher, Simon & Schuster.

Next month, she will speak at the LGBT Community Center in New York; in May she will deliver the commencement speech at her alma mater, Wellesley College, where nearly 50 years ago she launched her political career when she delivered its first student commencement address.

#Hillary Clinton #Democratic politics #US politics

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betteryyz · 7 years ago

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Transcript for: “A brief history of social housing”, Sept 13 2017

Hey!

In lieu of a recording, here is a typo filled twitter transcript of the event. Enjoy:

Hey! Welcome to “a brief history of social housing”, we’ll be your host tonight. We’re live tweeting the event so follow along!pic.twitter.com/fZ2tJHixKR

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:04 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Our panelists tonight are: Greg Suttor, a senior housing researcher w/Wellesley & Claire-Helene Heese-Boutin chair of the @parkdaleland

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:06 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Our moderator is our co l-organizer @ShakerJamal1 Great turn out tonightpic.twitter.com/NDi2aUYgjY

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:07 PM - 13 Sep 2017

S: we hear about in the news a lot about the price of houses, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Can you speak about diff types?

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:14 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Looking around the packed room tonight @betteryyz' history of TO's housing crisis, so clear this is THE issue for young ppl. pic.twitter.com/NEHQCE245Y

— Simone Swail (@simoneswail) September 13, 2017

Big crowd here to hear about the #housing crisis in #YYZ, held by @betteryyz pic.twitter.com/tfCUx7w9tu

— Felix YYZ (@FelixYYZ) September 13, 2017

<had to do some mic troubleshooting but basically> there’s co-ops, social housing, renting, not just ownership

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:15 PM - 13 Sep 2017

S: how does @parkdaleland fit in? Here I rec just checking them out as we catch up; community owned land! + leases w/local operators

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:16 PM - 13 Sep 2017

C: … also tries hard to engage w/community, holistic approach where land trust 1 piece of the puzzle for neighborhood at large

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:17 PM - 13 Sep 2017

S: was land trust inspired by other groups? C: other groups in the neighbourhood, other examples in the US. Situation is diff in Toronto…

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:18 PM - 13 Sep 2017

… as cost of acquisition is so high, have to be more innovative than what we see. S: how has yr relationship been w/govts?

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:19 PM - 13 Sep 2017

C: it’s been good, have to keep lines open, received support from @gordperks and other actors in the neighborhood, potential support from…

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:20 PM - 13 Sep 2017

… national housing strategy. The framework we’re working isn’t as advanced as say healthcare, which is seen as basic governance.

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:21 PM - 13 Sep 2017

S: TCH entity we hear a lot about but as a millennial it’s always been around but it’s always running out of $; where did it come from?

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:22 PM - 13 Sep 2017

G: long story! Gov’ts do lots of things in housing we take for granted. Pre 1967 we didn’t have condos, in 70s relatively strong tenant laws

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:22 PM - 13 Sep 2017

We have a stem of financing housing, setting interest rates, gov’ts affect housing in many ways & have to decide to be purposeful about it

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:23 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Say early 1900 huge rapid urbanization, industrialization, gov’ts start doing basic programs like old age, unemployment

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:24 PM - 13 Sep 2017

1920s govt says well we do these programs so people don’t suffer in old age or from poverty; same time we have ppl living terribly

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:25 PM - 13 Sep 2017

(Think tenements, lower east side) gov’ts started thinking well we can do better if we skip need for profit. By 1940s begins to invest

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:25 PM - 13 Sep 2017

1960s welfare state gets augmented and housing seen as part of what gov’ts do, esp considering the very poor housing available at time

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:26 PM - 13 Sep 2017

From mid 1960s to 1990s we built quite a bit of social housing, and most is from that period; about 10% of all housing was social housing

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:27 PM - 13 Sep 2017

We created public entities and authorized non profit entities to build housing; then the gov’t out up a lot of money, mostly loans

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:27 PM - 13 Sep 2017

But also subsidies to help build or help operate; basic thinking we can provide low income ppl rents matched to 30% income

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:29 PM - 13 Sep 2017

By 1970s thinking shifted towards mixed income to avoid ghettoizaion. TCH does a little more social housing than most of Canada but also…

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:29 PM - 13 Sep 2017

It happened when toronto was getting built out; you don’t see it as much in the 905 area.

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:30 PM - 13 Sep 2017

S: seems like the govt used to think it was its job to help fund housing. Did that change?

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:30 PM - 13 Sep 2017

G: a couple things happened in the 90s; we had big cut backs in social spending, assistance, healthcare; some has since been restored

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:31 PM - 13 Sep 2017

But also if cuts to provinces and social housing; social housing becomes something we _used_ to do, seen as last resort instead of a mix

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:31 PM - 13 Sep 2017

But cuts to production; Feds pull back funding (a bit more than half) and pull back; Ontario meanwhile Harris at the time says,

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:32 PM - 13 Sep 2017

We’re going to devolve this to municipalities, and make the cities own and operate and pay for subsidies. That’s how the city funds TCH to

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:33 PM - 13 Sep 2017

A tune of 500M a year; it’s rather unique since most places in the world don’t force cities to foot the bill

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:33 PM - 13 Sep 2017

S: were effects in Ontario more or less pronounced? G: simile but more severe. Same federal cuts but downloading was unique to ON

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:34 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Montreal region only pays about 10%; BC pays more, Ontario is anomalous. S: Claire have you seen the effect of downloading?

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:35 PM - 13 Sep 2017

C: prob limited perspective but seen with tenant deregulation where people are being evicted to flip properties / raise rents

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:36 PM - 13 Sep 2017

This is having a serious impact on rents housing; speculation in the market is really aggravating situation in Toronto. Take rooming houses

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:36 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Rooming houses a legacy of deinstitutionalization, ppl being forced to find a place to live w/o market incomes, found rooming houses

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:37 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Investors now conveying these into micro luxury suites and removing affordable housing. Huge impacts on the ground. Interestingly…

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:38 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Parkdale is actually losing population as the city is growing as people engage in these conversions; land trust tries to take land off markt

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:39 PM - 13 Sep 2017

G: housing is a commodity a& mostly not gonna change but also a huge human need & huge % of household spending. There’s a question:

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:39 PM - 13 Sep 2017

To what extent do human needs call for gov’ts to say we can’t just let market forces go wild. In many ways the 90s were a very benign time

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:40 PM - 13 Sep 2017

They were a favorable time for the middle class as housing prices went down in real estate crash & only last 3-5 years has got crazy again

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:41 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Ppl saying wait, the market isn’t working so well anymore, how should govt be more forceful.

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:41 PM - 13 Sep 2017

S: think we’ll ever go back to how we used to see housing? C: I think we’ll start tying this to larger macro econ; huge $ sitting idle,

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:43 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Climate change changing the reality we occupy, will have to transform delivery of goods and services outside market forces. Also time to…

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:44 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Why do we live in a society where people don’t have homes even tho we have the ability to build it? Disheartening to see wealth & suffering

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:44 PM - 13 Sep 2017

S: is there a role for social housing in our neoliberal era? G: for a city to spend 500M on housing subsidies is quite a burden;

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:46 PM - 13 Sep 2017

But fiscally feasible for provincial and federa govts. Huge opportunity in existing housing since most mortgages now paid off,

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:47 PM - 13 Sep 2017

TCH can break even at $600/mo ballpark which means it can operate quite effectively once mortgages are gone. What will a private LL charge?

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:48 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Trad social housing is very cost effective & can take out new loans to pay for new housing like in Sweden and Netherlands. City can’t do it

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:48 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Hopefully some more strategic thinking from diff gov’ts and national housing strategy

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:49 PM - 13 Sep 2017

C: huge opportunity in co-op housing to similarly use those assets to grow more housing, want to highlight that opportunity co-ops are great

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:49 PM - 13 Sep 2017

S: Okay, why are co-ops so awesome? C: people get involved! Someone worked their asses off to make cool stuff happen

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:50 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Some members pay rent geared 2 income, as low as $129/mo - can you imagine how big a diff that makes? Co-ops share responsibility, community

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:51 PM - 13 Sep 2017

In terms of housing crisis, co-ops have huge $$ in assets once our mortgages are up we can grow more; be a city builder

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:52 PM - 13 Sep 2017

S: can we build more social housing? Will we build more of it? G: complicated; can’t just refinance, need new models & financing

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:53 PM - 13 Sep 2017

We need provinces to make it easier; part involves arrangements for new mortgage loans. A bank providing a loan makes it more expensive for…

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:54 PM - 13 Sep 2017

… commercial operators. Similarly it needs to be easier for non profits to get funding. But we also need funding that scales w/pop growth

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:54 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Toronto has grown by 25% but our social housing system hasn’t. Where do middle and low income people find options?

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:55 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Housing stock doesn’t just grow immediately to reflect new need.

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:56 PM - 13 Sep 2017

<I missed question> G: … we need to make renting a viable option can’t just be a stigmatized option; in Germany half of ppl rent

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:57 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Good security of tenure, good quality, we used to produce good quality new apartments for rent and it was a normal option for mid class ppl

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:58 PM - 13 Sep 2017

How we arrange the systems of finance to operate and encourage that makes renting more attractive option; also co-ownership

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

7:59 PM - 13 Sep 2017

C: I think CMHC has an opportunity to do a lot more than what they’re doing right now. It has billions in equity that could be used

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:00 PM - 13 Sep 2017

They’re a crown corp that’s making gravy; they used to provide grants and helped with downpayments, long term not for profit loans

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:00 PM - 13 Sep 2017

If we could get CMHC to get back into providing those financial products to help co-ops to leverage and grow & create new opps, easy 4 them

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:01 PM - 13 Sep 2017

I think renting made sense when ppl were more able to save but today home ownership main way to save for most ppl/old age

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:02 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Major issue that relates to homeownership/renting. The land trust can hold a variety of assets & understand relationship

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:02 PM - 13 Sep 2017

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:03 PM - 13 Sep 2017

We want low volatility in our housing prices which c am be created they a land trust model, as ppl build up wealth then more ppl can come in

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:04 PM - 13 Sep 2017

<Greg comiserares on shared equity ownership modes> take U.K. In the late 90s, shared ownership became huge sector in London et al

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:04 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Imagine toronto with a few thousand new units a year of shared ownership equity, it’d be significant, a big non profit develops & holds …

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:05 PM - 13 Sep 2017

The difference between your ability to pay in equity until you can pay it off or not. 1 part of many of solution

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:06 PM - 13 Sep 2017

S: if you can change one policy, what would it be? We’re one year from next election cycles, what would you propose?

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:07 PM - 13 Sep 2017

G: I’m going to think provincial, province matters a lot. ON adopted a new strategy but we need a *short* term strategy w/more funding soonr

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:07 PM - 13 Sep 2017

C: inter vanacy rent control!

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:08 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Q&A! Q: how will inclusionary zoning hep? G: certainly one way to provide sites to co-locate aff housing with other types

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:24 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Not a golden bullet, still gonna need funding & te kind of things we talked about before the break C: land trust wld love to take adv

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:25 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Q: prov regs Will take effect later; what can we do to prevent watered down regs? G: tricky! C: throw it to the crowd, diverse ppl…

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:26 PM - 13 Sep 2017

C: what are YOU up to, how can YOU be supported? Rando: Kensington land trust! We need more young ppl involved

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:27 PM - 13 Sep 2017

R: need more people to show up and participate, generational transition. R2: chair of housing action now, re:aff housing, get involved w/us

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:28 PM - 13 Sep 2017

<there’s a third person in the crowd, mentioning I believe indigenous sovereignty? But I can’t quite make it out>

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:30 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Rachel plugs the Young Urbanist League which is a rad Facebook group you should join

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:30 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Q: it’s been over 20 yrs since TCH funding withdrawn, can’t one province. Raise property taxes! I think q was, what about our revenue stream

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:33 PM - 13 Sep 2017

G: the city should increase its subsidy. 20 years ago the city was spending ~400M but in same period city budget has doubled…

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:34 PM - 13 Sep 2017

And the city has the fiscal capacity to figure it out. C: what pieces of the city pie has grown? HECKLER: police budget!

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:35 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Rando4: also about how city assets have grown, rate at which budget grows not same as rate of subsidy Greg: yeah basically

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:36 PM - 13 Sep 2017

I missed the q, g: certainly social housing more on agenda than before C: we could definitely do more, starting to be an issue

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:37 PM - 13 Sep 2017

C: this housing crisis relatively recent for middle income but always been an issue for low income who get marginalized in unfair ways

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:37 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Q: how do we handle speculation? G: it’s complicated, more a matter of fed and prov tax policy, in a bubble like ours that behaviour…

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:39 PM - 13 Sep 2017

… is more attractive, to get investment properties, doesn’t create bubble but certainly feeds it & gov’ts need to think about it. Feds been…

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:39 PM - 13 Sep 2017

… taking some steps to tweak the rules on mortgages etc. part of the picture but that behaviour doesn’t create boom in of itself

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:40 PM - 13 Sep 2017

C: my dad unfortunately is an economist at the CMHC and S: unfortunately? C: well, *he* is a great dad just CMHC I have problems

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:41 PM - 13 Sep 2017

C: … limited places for capital to flow, question the system we have now as speculators trying to improve their own lives, system issue

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:42 PM - 13 Sep 2017

G: this is mostly buying condos to rent, roughly half the condo market & a quarter of rental market if we go back to 1970s the building of…

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:42 PM - 13 Sep 2017

… rentals was done by pros but at the time rental demand that happened thru a sector structured via tax law etc made this sector happen

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:43 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Now we do rentals via investor-speculators to absorb rental deman, which then becomes part of the fuel of the boom. Structure it differently

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:44 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Q: OMB is being reformed, negative or positive? G: q refers to prov reducing avenues for appeal… OMB quasi judicial tribunal that rules on

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:45 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Zoning adjustments, municipal issues etc, new rules to leave more of the power with city councils. Argument is this would push prices

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:46 PM - 13 Sep 2017

G: I don’t actually know, lots of cities lack an OMB, we’ll see C: I know developers afraid of Margaret Atwood but… developers want $…

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:47 PM - 13 Sep 2017

We do want an increase in supply but it has to make sense for the community and be equitable and provide aff housing in perpetuity

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:47 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Q: why do u think millennial aren’t flocking to housing advocacy? G: I think Ms here know better than I do; we’ve had a 2 decade period…

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:48 PM - 13 Sep 2017

… where we expect less intervention from gov’t and at the time the market was working well, and that’s just how it was for ppl growing up

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:48 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Maybe folks are thinking about it. C: we have so much fish to fry? Climate change, inequality, predatory capitalism, not working for us

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:49 PM - 13 Sep 2017

I think that we have *so many issues* we are confronting we can’t even imagine our future, living day to day, housing is a pain point but

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:50 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Idk if we’ve been seeing answers and solutions that engage; hopefully land trust part of those solutions, how to think about future we want

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:50 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Q: do you think here’s a lack of education on the topic? C: idk if it’s education, leaders who inspired me prob not educated

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:51 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Ppl just picked it up and learned as they went along, and now they’ve created such legacies. Not easy.

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:52 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Missed q, re: Nat Housing Strat G: vi consultations, strategy end route, will create opportunities for advocacy at fed level

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:54 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Chance to advocate to the province hey here’s this framework are you going to put in more resources to make the most of it?

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:54 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Q: within fed NHS what actions do you want to see communities take? C: fed govt negotiating w/ prov but understanding from local mp

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:56 PM - 13 Sep 2017

C: co-op housing lobbies like a tobacco company, they have revenue to allow them to fund organization to access gov’t in effective strategy

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:57 PM - 13 Sep 2017

NHS will create more funding, make it more reasonable for non profits, Adam Vaughan says it’ll total $51B over ten years

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:58 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Kens land trust fellow: we got nothin we didn’t fight for! Take $15 campaign, can’t divorce issues from everything else

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

8:59 PM - 13 Sep 2017

… there are people actively working to prevent social housing, to prevent rent control, ppl are lobbying — Shaker: do you have a q?

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

9:00 PM - 13 Sep 2017

C: I think this highlights how govt not set up to help people, systems of power set up to advantage certain groups over others

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

9:01 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Let’s address these systems and imagine forms of govt that satisfy the needs of most of us not just in a utilitarian way, mutual aid

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

9:02 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Q: I can put a down payment on a condo what can I do instead to create aff opportunities? G: I’m not giving financial advice!

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

9:02 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Solutions are not individual. Great to donate to causes if you can spare the money but not up to an individual to solve the housing crisis

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

9:03 PM - 13 Sep 2017

C: up my alley! Buy the condo however it works for you, take care of your personal finances then provide that prop to a land trust later

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

9:03 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Q: what are other orgs that we should know about? G: housing action now, a significant body, at prov level co-op housin federation

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

9:05 PM - 13 Sep 2017

The Ontario non profit housing assoc, you can’t JOIN but it’s an important voice. At city lvl there’s networks, I come from Wellesley Inst…

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

9:05 PM - 13 Sep 2017

C: uhm… @parkdaleland? I’m pretty local!

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

9:06 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Q: I read about all the empty bedrooms in Toronto, can we incentivize ppl rent them out? G: couple thots take it more broadly

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

9:07 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Homeowners renting out rooms is good and part of what’s needed and we need to adjust zoning rules. Used to have housing registries…

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

9:08 PM - 13 Sep 2017

… but… it’s not the solution. Ppl who have he asset & don’t need the money aren’t gonna rent it out. Need to put political energy to…

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

9:09 PM - 13 Sep 2017

Solutions that COULD make a diff. C: we should teach boomers how to use Airbnb, get to use income in retirement, release pressure

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

9:10 PM - 13 Sep 2017

That’s a wrap!!!! Thanks for following along & pls join our mailing list: http://betterto.us15.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=3ce9a850cef4412ebc99f8856&id=3ffb097f37 …

— Better Toronto (@betteryyz)

9:10 PM - 13 Sep 2017

#betterto #housing #toronto #torontohousingcrisis

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njawaidofficial · 7 years ago

Text

'Spider-Man: Homecoming': A Thank-You From a "Nerd School" Alum

http://styleveryday.com/2017/07/10/spider-man-homecoming-a-thank-you-from-a-nerd-school-alum/

'Spider-Man: Homecoming': A Thank-You From a "Nerd School" Alum

Ciara Wardlow is a student at Wellesley College, a Heat Vision contributor, and a 2014 alum of a math and sciences high school she lovingly refers to as “a nerd school.”

When I saw the first trailer for Spider-Man: Homecoming, I had two major takeaways. The first was, “Wow they are young—dear lord I’m old” (thankfully, a comforting Google search later that evening informed me that they merely looked younger than me). The second was, “Wait, does Peter Parker actually go to nerd school?!”

Let me make one thing clear right off the bat — I say “nerd school” with all love. You see, I went to nerd school — the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, or, in the words of WIRED magazine, “Hogwarts for Hackers.”

While most of the Internet was debating the necessity of yet another Spider-Man reboot (“Three in the past ten years is ridiculous.” “But he was so much fun in Captain America: Civil War!”), I was quite curious — even cautiously optimistic — about how Homecoming would portray the high school experience. Popular culture has an obsession with high school that I generally find a little strange (I mean, the typical review of the real-life high school experience is “would not do again, even for money, zero stars”) — and irritating. Despite all the film and TV shows centered around those four years, the range of characters they explore in those projects is, frankly, abysmal. The same social hierarchies, the same 15 stock characters (about half of whom can be traced back to John Hughes), the same checklist of scenes that seemingly must be included.

Having talked with people who went to all sorts of high schools — private, public, Catholic, day schools, boarding schools, STEM schools, art schools, you name it — or interacting with my younger sister, currently in high school (a different one than I went to) and having a completely different high school experience than I did, I’ve come to the conclusion that the one constant is that it’s a weird time, but a million different flavors of weird. So why do 95 percent of high school movies return to the same 5 percent or so of what’s available?

Both previous cinematic iterations of Spider-Man start out in high school, because it’s Spider-Man, and anything else would be sacrilege. Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker is depicted as a “science nerd” type at Midtown High — a one-scene wonder of a place that manages to be as emblematic of early 2000s popular culture’s idea of the high school experience as an Avril Lavigne song — never shown doing any actual science. Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker is first introduced primarily as more of a photographer (when we first meet him as a teenager, he’s carrying a camera and asked by two separate characters to take a picture), skater boy (attempted) protector of the small type.

Both characters are weighed down by tired teen movie cliches and actors whom, in spite of their talents, look like Hollywood “teenagers” (aka 20-somethings with backpacks) instead of actual high school students.

But if my 15-year-old little sister introduced me to a boy who looked and sounded like Tom Holland’s Peter Parker and said, “Hey Ciara, this is my boyfriend,” I wouldn’t think anything of it except maybe to give her two thumbs-up or something equally embarrassing because that is my sisterly prerogative; if she did the same with the equivalent of Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfields’ Peter Parkers, I would drag her away forcibly for her own good, with flashbacks to Matthew McConaughey’s character from Dazed and Confused playing in my head. Of course, I do realize that Tom Holland is actually my age instead of hers, but he really pulls off 15. Not Riverdale type “15” (come on, think about it, the show would be five kinds of creepy if they actually looked the age they were supposed to be). Actual 15. I mean, just think of the mustache they glued on him in The Lost City of Z to try to make him look not 15. And his behavior as Peter Parker — from the phone video diary the film opens up with to the way he interacts with his friends and Aunt May — reminds me of various encounters with my sister who actually is that age, so I feel qualified and comfortable giving that a seal of authenticity as well.

Homecoming is, in many ways, an homage to teen movies. Even if you cut out the Ferris Bueller suburbia chase scene, Homecoming practically oozes John Hughes, but without being John Hughes Rip-off #1005, because Homecoming isn’t stealing its characterizations from the Hollywood’s Idea of High School playbook. Sure, there might be aspects of certain characters that are very familiar, but not repetitive — and switching the setting to a nerd school with a different type of social hierarchy is a huge help. Instead of a poor John Hughes copy, Homecoming is the nerdy teen superhero movie John Hughes never made.

And just as the high school experience is not a monolith, neither is the nerd high school experience. But there are a few sure things: no nerd school ecosystem can support the machismo jock type, even if you have an individual there who would fit the bill in a more traditional high school environment. For one, you might not have the sports teams available to inflate their ego. I don’t think it’s explicitly stated whether or not Midtown School of Science and Technology has a football team, but my alma mater IMSA certainly doesn’t — and yes, you can totally have Homecoming dances without football. Secondly — and this is the really important one here — you just can’t pull off “dork” or “nerd” or “geek” as an insult when you go to a school with “Science” in the name. It’s like making fun of someone for wearing a blue shirt while also wearing a blue shirt.

Now, Homecoming has gotten some heat for making Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori) smaller than his cinematic predecessors and a member of the Academic Decathlon team instead of some jock with a ball that he could use to concuss mathletes or something, but that sort of choice is incredibly important to maintaining a believable nerd school atmosphere. STEM school teenagers are still teenagers. They can still be bullies, and make fun of people for dumb things — like having a name that is a somewhat outdated euphemism for a certain part of male anatomy — and for flimsy reasons that usually stem from their own insecurities (because, you know, they’re teenagers). They’re just probably not going to get into a fistfight in the hallway. The choice to make Flash a non-athletically inclined but highly jealous and insecure frenemy type also frees Homecoming from requiring yet another Flash/Peter showdown. “But I wanted Peter Parker to humiliate Flash Thompson in a fight on school grounds!” some of you might say. Well, Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man already gave you two to pick from. Don’t be greedy.

It’s the details of Homecoming that soothe the tiny corners of my soul that repeat exposure to the remaining 99 percent of Hollywood depictions of high school have left in a near-permanent state of irritation. It’s the moment where Ned (Jacob Batalon) has a brief encounter with the chess team, who are just kids playing chess who happen to notice Ned creeping through the halls after class and wonder what he’s doing, as opposed to twitchy mole-people in need of a good scrubbing and a visit from the social skills fairy. It’s how the snarky Michelle Jones (Zendaya) clearly cares more about her books than her appearance but still remains you know, hygienic, and acts aloof as a defense mechanism in spite of clearly caring about the people in her social circle (been there, done that, got the T-shirt). It’s all these little things in Homecoming and more that had me leaving the film with a goofy grin on my face; little things that I had been looking for in every depiction of high school I had seen on a screen since being in high school myself, only to come up empty-handed until now.

Of course Homecoming is not a documentary. For example, even if Peter Parker is one of the most brilliant minds to have ever lived and can walk into his exams in every class without so much as five minutes of preparation and get perfect scores on all of them, putting in zero work outside of class — especially with the whole five stolen backpacks thing, which would also suggest five occasions of losing any and all notes, assignments and books in said backpacks — would land him in even hotter water than the film suggests. But at least the film shows him, even if only for a brief few seconds in montage, actually doing work in classes, and not just when the subject of the class serves the plot of the film, but because he’s a high school sophomore and that’s what high school sophomores do. And the film also doesn’t do the thing where it says that he’s that sort of model student who turns in all his assignments on time and actually writes multiple drafts of essays, but actually shows him doing just about everything else in the world but actual homework — perhaps the one thing that teen movies do that, more than anything else, makes me want to hulk out into a green rage monster and smash things.

As someone who was a nerdy teen and spent my teenage years surrounded by fellow nerds, I went into Homecoming hoping to see a depiction of a nerdy teen with superpowers surrounded by other nerdy teens that rang true to my personal experience. And I left very happy.

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#Alum #Homecoming #Nerd #School #SpiderMan #ThankYou

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