The young woman on campus

A young woman on campus stands at the door of the Women’s Centre, unsure of whether to go in or not. This young woman, one of many young women at UTSC and not really special in any way, or so she thinks, rocks back and forth from her heel to her toes in the airy hallway of the second floor of the student centre, a strangely quiet hallway—the young woman, a hypothetical young woman but no less real than you or I, is a victim of violence against women.

We can only guess about her life. Perhaps her boyfriend hits her sometimes when she’s being irrational and needy and “womanly” in his words, doesn’t mean it, regrets it later after he’s had some TV time to cool down, swears he doesn’t mean it, but she was being so irrational and clingy and womanly at the time, just a walking stereotype of an over-attached insecure woman, that he couldn’t help himself. This episode happens again and again, and every time it happens the more irrational and needy and insecure she feels, the more crazy and small and helpless she feels. Her friends are worried about her; her parents are worried about her. They sent her here.

This hypothetical young woman, standing outside the women’s centre, the more she thinks about it the deeper her nails dig into her palm in a feeling that’s painful and good.

The young woman on campus is one of many who suffer from violence against women (VAW). Others are victim to emotional, financial, psychological and spiritual abuse, intimate partner violence, child abuse, child sexual abuse, sexual assault, stalking, harassment, and femicide.

The young woman has seen posters around campus against VAW, but she’s never really made the connection between them and her life. She was there at the announcement for Build Act Change, a new campus program to combat violence against women, a program that will help women like her at UTSC.

Build Act Change is a partnership between the campus women’s centre and the Scarborough Women’s Centre. The program aims to stop violence against women through events promoting awareness, and ensuring that women experiencing violence have access to supports and resources. It’s a program that UTSC dean of student affairs Desmond Pouyat and MP Corleniu Chisu speak in support of passionately, and that our government pledged $200,000 towards, and that has dozens of employees and volunteers working tirelessly planning events from December to March.

For example, “What Makes a Man” by Build Act Change was last Wednesday, a conference about the pressures of masculinity that contribute to violence against women.

This program will ensure big changes on campus, for the women frightened by the periodic announcements of violence at UTSC, for women who have to be afraid of date rape and domestic abuse and an all-encompassing societal minimization of their personhood and efforts, and for the men who stand by them.

The hypothetical young woman, jittery to her very core in the cold hallway on the second floor of the student centre, unsure of whether to step forward and change the direction of her life right around, is not alone.

UTSC has a cold

You trudge through the cold at 10 a.m., climbing your third set of stairs. You’re walking up past some dude who looks like his parka is about to engulf him. He’s wearing a thick woolen hat and two pairs of gloves. Just as you’re about to dismiss his entire existence, you watch his head pull back, arms go up and entire body fall into one spasm. He lets out an enormous sneeze; there is no controlling its path of destruction. Mucus and saliva go flying everywhere, you can see bits of it stick to his gloves, and touch the stairway railing that you were planning to hold just 10 seconds ago. He only really manages to cover half his mouth, but the sheer power of the sneeze leaves a touch of dampness on your neck. His body has been taken completely by surprise as he struggles to find his balance, while simultaneously succumbing to a set of wracking coughs. You don’t get a chance to say, or even think “Bless you”, before he begins to hack like an 88 year old. Time to move far away from his side of the stairway. You may be concerned enough to ask him if he’s okay, but it's November in Canada, and you’re more worried about leaping out of harm’s way.

Then it happens. Two days after your encounter with the sneeze man, you feel it as soon as you wake up -- prickly throat, stuffy nose, the odd pang of an impending ear ache. It’s time to get out of bed, but not before you curse the living hell out of that guy and his virus-infested, germtastic saliva that probably found its way past your pristine immune system. It may also have been the 200 other people in your last lecture, 80 of whom sniffled through the prof’s endless drone. Who knows? Welcome to the changing season. You take a hot shower, or skip showering altogether, and whip up a mug of the hottest substance you can find. It’s going to be a long day, one scattered with everyone's favorite phrases:

“I’m getting sick."

“I feel sick."

“I freaking hate this weather, I’m so sick.”

The evolution of sickness, I call it.

These are the first signs of the approaching holiday season. Every other person looks like Rudolph, red nosed and swollen faced. People clutch to their hot chocolates for dear life; if only Jack had held on to that little piece of floating wood as vehemently, he and Rose might have lived happily ever after and become millionaires. When did Kleenex replace cell phones in every person’s hand? When did Tylenol Cold & Flu become more essential than coffee? Thank you, schizophrenic Ontario weather, you can’t make up your mind about how you want to spend each day, so you decide to creep up on us with random temperatures and leave us all at the edge of sanity. It’s too damn difficult, thinking before taking a sip of someone's iced cap, or sharing forks. Everyone looks like they’ve been attacked by mono, the Health & Wellness Centre is packed with people looking for doctors' notes, and hand sanitizer is going out faster than liquid cocaine.

What do we do? Some rush to get their flu shot. Despite the fact that this is a common occurrence, the flu suddenly becomes an uncontrollable epidemic, and the flu shot is the anchor that will keep you on this side of the storm. We all feel like we’re in Noah’s Ark, GET ON THE BOAT!  GET ON THE BOAT! (Or was it a ship?) Everyone left behind is a horde of zombies, waiting to welcome you into their ranks of mindless beasts. All you want to do is get back into bed and forget about organized education for a while. Maybe even forever, but let’s not get into that. There is no time to ponder the supposed preventative benefits of the flu shot, no time to count how many Strepsils you've sucked on, and how many bowls of chicken noodle soup you've sifted through only to eat the noodles and leave everything else floating in the broth. It’s time to either give in to possible sickness, or fight it and take a day off school or work, before it settles into your body for a few weeks of utter discomfort.

Game of Thrones is so right, prepare for the winter. Stocking up on Tylenol, chicken broth and hot tea is the only way you’ll win the seven kingdoms. That is, before you look into a mirror, and realize the sneezing man was actually you.

The doctor has spoken UTSC.

Stay warm,

Maha

You know you're in University when...

So last night I made the big mistake of flipping through the channels at 5 pm which is apparently the perfect time for EVERY single channel to tell their viewers current events happening within their general area and even all over the world. This phenomenon better known as the “evening news” caught my attention because it made me go through a whole range of emotions in just 15 minutes. Most of these emotions were sad or angry and I thought to myself “no wonder everybody’s depressed these days, the news SUCKS.”

That really has nothing to do with my blog; I just wanted to tell you guys how I felt about life.

Anyway, to brighten up all your Monday’s I’m going to do a fun list about how you know when you’re in University. There really is no introduction needed for this so let’s just get right into.

• Weekends start on a Thursday for you… (Dang art students).

•   Sleeping before 4 am is a waste of a night.

  

• You know the store hours of all the fast food restaurants on or near your campus.

  

•  Your breakfast isn’t complete without something with caffeine in it.

  

• You tell people all week that you have to study for a test on the Friday just so you can avoid them because we all know you aren't studying until Thursday.

   

•   The weight you’ve gained is “all muscle” because you go to the gym once a week.

   

• Procrastination is a form of art. Beautiful, wonderful, timeless art.

   

•  You know you’re at UTSC when the library is louder than the halls, the marketplace and probably the gym.

   

•  You’ll wait 10 minutes for an elevator because the stairs are just too much work.

  

• Naps are a necessity. 

Let's keep this thing going, just list as many "you know you're in University when..." statements in the comments section below!

By the way, if there’s something new on campus or anything at all that you want me to write about, just let me know. I’ll be sure to take everything into consideration.

Until next week,

Peace and love.

Drinking At Rex’s Den – A Choose Your Own Adventure Story

Page 1 – Start
You walk into Rex’s Den, you sit down at the Bar, you’re not sure why you’re here but there’s some money in your pocket that you’re willing to burn. A man faces the bar and is very seriously mixing somebody a drink.

After he finishes serving he comes up to you, “Hello, my name is James Barber. I’ll be your Bartender for the evening. Can I get you something to start off with?
CHOOSE:
“Can I have a Rex’s Burger please? I’m not drinking.” – Proceed to Page 9
”Give me something exotic that’ll get me drunk.”  - Proceed to Page 2
“What have you got on tap?” – Proceed to page 7

Page 2 – Pumpkin Pie Shot
After watching the bartender run around and grab about two dozen bottles, and carefully pour each into this tiny glass from the back of a spoon, you receive a shot glass full of Bailey’s, Kahlua, Goldschlager, with bits of cinnamon sprinkled on top. It is on fire.

“Go ahead and blow the fire out, take a shot of that and tell me how that tastes,” James says.

You blow it out, and pound it back. It’s pretty sweet, the warmth of it burns your throat a little, but that soon subsides while the warmth stays. Cinnamon lingers on your tongue.

CHOOSE:
“That was good! You got something I can drink for more than 2 seconds though?” Proceed to page 6.
“Woah, I’m not having any more of that! Give me the bill I’m going home.” Proceed to page 15

Page 3 - Caesar Made with Bacon Vodka and Garlic

He’s so proud of his creation. “I just soaked bacon in Vodka, but don’t tell anyone that’s my secret.” James says, pretty loudly.

The caesar arrives. You’re wondering if there’s fat congealing in it from the bacon but it’s really just little specks of garlic. There’s plenty of tabasco sauce, and to be quite honest this tastes like the best salad you’ve ever had, you’ll ever have.

The garlic compliments the clamato juice perfectly, and the bacon adds a smoky, meaty character to the drink you’d never expect from a serving of two booze-soaked vegetables.

Mike adds you on Facebook and you’re officially friends (on the internet) now. It’s getting late however, and you plan on going home and watching TV until you fall asleep. So you pay up and start to get ready. Proceed to page 16.

Page 4 - Angry Rex Poutine
You order the Angry Rex Poutine, and start talking with the guy.
Ohh, he just meant he’s tried all 8 or so beers on tap at the bar here, well except for Sapporo. He’s a regular, like many of the other people here. They come in and unwind when they’re all done their work after a long day.

Your food arrives and boy does it look and smell good. It tastes even better too. You love how the fries get all mushy and covered in all those different sauces at the bottom. You love how the spiciness mixes with the cheese and gravy. You realize however, this is a lot more food than you bargained for. You share some with Mike, but he just ate and doesn’t take too much.
CHOOSE:
You force yourself to keep on. Proceed to page 3.
Man you’re full. You get out of here. Proceed to page 15.

Page 5 - Irish Car Bomb
You order an Irish car bomb, because for some reason you think it’s impressive and that you’re still the only one that knows about it. Plus you wanna prove to Mike that you can outdrink him, because someone that knows about all the beers in the world has to be a heavy drinker, right?

So, you drop the shot of Bailey’s into the half pint of Guinness and chug it before it curdles. It’s a lot of booze but it’s really smooth.

“Are you alright?" he asks.
Of course you are, you have to be. You ask the bartender for another drink, “something fancy.” He gives you a “Don Draper”. Proceed to page 13.

Page 6 - Happy Green Apple

James puts together two handfuls of liqueur into a mixer, pours it into a glass, and fills it the rest of the way with Somersby cider. It tastes like a Crisp summer limonade slushy.

“This is the best selling drink tonight! It’s my personal favorite too. Somersby Cider itself is our most popular drink on tap.” James says

He leans in close and whispers, “See those people that walked out?”
You look behind you and catch the backs of a few people’s heads leaving

“They were just making out at the bar,” James says.

”They were making out!?” You repeat. The sound of footsteps behind you quickly turns into a run.

”Yeah, you know what they were drinking?” You look down.

“That’s right! Enjoy.”

You start telling the bartender your relationship problems. He is officially your therapist now. Luckily he gives you practical and witty advice. You begin to get braver and begin eyeing a cutie far away. They walk up to the bar and order a drink.

“What did they get?” You ask. Proceed to page 11.

“Oh man, I should just go home now.” Give me the bill please. Proceed to page 15.

Page 7 – Beer

What might be the only drink to ever matter, ever. Ever. Sure it’s kind of pricey here but it’s so dang good, plus they just cleaned the taps (at least that’s what they say). You grab a Hop City, a very bitter, very herby hoppy drink that manages to stay somewhat crisp, and not leave an aftertaste too long in your mouth. You start talking to the guy next to ya, because he’s drinking the same brand.

He says it’s his favourite “after trying them ALL,” he says.

Like, every beer in the world? Can such a man exist? Is he the chosen one?

You shake his hand weakly, “I’m Mike,” He says, with a strong grip.

You chug your beer, because you don’t know what to say to such a master. You order something that isn’t beer.
CHOOSE:
More booze? – Proceed to page 5
Some food to distract him – Proceed to page 4.

Page 8 - Soda

You grab a bubbly, sugary classic. Take it to the foosball table where somebody is obviously waiting for a challenge.

The rules: No spins.

You keep spinning it anyway but they don’t care that much, they’re wooping you anyway.

You get more and more mad by the fact that you keep losing, you’re offering rematches and trying to place bets that your opponent won’t take. Finally you win one game. You think you’re on a roll and play again. You get beat again 9-0.
Now you’re thinking “Did he let me win? Do I really suck?”

You go to the bar, and pay your bill.  - Proceed to page 17.

Page 9 - Rex Burger
It’s a school night, you don’t want to drink, or you don’t like to drink. Good choice. Your brain, your grades, your wallet and the rest of your organs will spend a lifetime thanking you for that. Besides, why buy all those expensive drinks when for the price of one of them you can get this delicious meal? You’re waiting for your food.

James makes friendly chit chat. (Y/N)
N

It arrives in a timely manner, and it looks good. The french fries are lightly salted, with a good crisp on the outside that leads to a tender flaky potato on the inside. The garlic mayonnaise in the burger is AMAZING with the beef and vegetables. You don’t even need much ketchup.

“Do you want anything to drink? You can try some of our mocktails as a sweet non-alcoholic drink.,” James suggests. Proceed to page 10

Page 10 – Cinderella

It’s like a strawberry cream flavoured hard candy. Made with an an assortment of juices, and non alcoholic bar fluids (probably magic). This reminds you of being a happy little girl, even if you’ve never been one (though now, maybe you wish you were). A tasty treat to top your meal off.

You’re about to leave but before you do, you spot a foosball table in the corner. You grab a soda with you. Proceed to page 8.

Page 11 - Purple Panty Drop
“That my friend, is the purple panty drop, made with Blue Curacao, Somersby Cider, Raspberry Liqueur. Delicious. This is a new drink. I doubt you’ll ever get it anywhere else,” James says.

“Wow you’re helpful. Can I have one? I wanna be able to get into their head before I approach them. You know?” You say, voice only slightly blurred.

The drink is sweet and sour, like an electric gummy worm covered in those little sour crystals. This person must be really sweet if you get on their good side, you deduce.

You sit alone and slurp and plan your next move. Proceed to Page 12.

Page  12 - Alien Brain Hemorrhage
“Can I get them something to really impress them? Something also sweet, but that can show them I’m like, interesting,” you ask.

“Well I’ve got this one drink you’re gonna love, the Alien Brain Hemorrhage. It’s colourful and weird, like you seem to be. I can mix you up two of them and you can give one to that person your eyein’. What do ya say?” James, your new best friend says.

You agree.

He mixes up these two things.

You bring them over to the cutie, and they refuse because a person is never supposed to accept open drinks from a stranger they’ve never met. Imagine what could happen!

You end up drinking both. Luckily they are sweet. Who ever knew something so alcoholic could taste so good? It’s like they mixed all your Halloween candy in a blender and you had to drink it. But by now you’re pretty obviously drunk and James sees that this is not your night. Politely, he tries to cut you off, for your own sake.
CHOOSE:
You grab your things and start heading home. Proceed to page 19.
You demand he gives you the fanciest thing he can think of to impress the person. You try to walk in a straight line, touch your nose and so forth to prove you're sober enough. You beg until finally he accepts. Proceed to page 14.

Page 13 - Old Fashioned

Mostly whiskey, with some bitters and fruit at the bottom (cherry, orange). It’s a pretty tough bitter drink, with a sweet touch to it. If you wanna get all hygiene products-sexist about it, an American ad company might say it’s “strong enough for a man, made for a woman," but that’s baloney. It’s a drink made for everybody, even your kids (ok not your kids).

You drink this one too fast too, because you still need to show Mike what you’re worth, he’s still sipping on his first beer and talking to the person next to ya. What a chump. You sure showed him.

Twenty minutes after you’ve arrived, James cuts you off.

You pay up and proceed to try to leave your stool, stumbling a little. Proceed to page 19

Page 14 - Flaming Lamborghini

This happens.

Everyone watches you and hopes you burn yourself (just kidding). The cutie’s already gone though. Besides, by now you’re waaaay too drunk anyway, and they would just be worried more about you puking all over them than anything else.

James is not too impressed either, you pay your bill and proceed to go home. Proceed to page 18

Page 15 - You left early.
You’re buzzed. Pretty disappointed after all. There will be other nights, however, better nights. They might not involve booze though. Maybe you should stop drinking for a bit though? Doesn’t seem like it’s the best thing for ya.

Page 16 - You were really just hungry, weren’t ya?
It’s a struggle to get off the stool. You must have eaten about a thousand calories in less than an hour. You manage though. You get to your bus stop, get on the first one that startles you awake. It’s the wrong bus but you don’t notice. The itis has you now. You fall asleep on the bus, wake up at the Toronto airport, and it’s 4am. Maybe you shouldn't eat and drink so much.

Page 17 – Sober / Foosball Loser
You decide to spend the next four years of your life in University playing foosball. You spend more and more of your OSAP money on “the tables” as you call them, wooing in first year students, making them cry, just so you can be ready for a rematch with “that guy” who you never see again. Did he even go to this school? Did he graduate? Was he just a figment of your imagination?

Page 18 – Spent too much money ending
You got all the flashiest drinks and walked out with  a $150 bill. Your head is spinning, you feel sick. You are broke, and won’t remember anything. The supposed glitz and glamour you coifed will fade away like morning dew just like your grades.You want your mother but you’re afraid of what she’ll do to you. Maybe you shouldn’t drink any more.

Page 19 – That’ll get ya drunk right and quick
They say beer before liquor never been sicker, liquor before beer you’re in the clear. But it’s really just about how much booze you drink and how fast. You messed up. You’ve gotta go have dinner at grandma’s house in an hour and she’s not gonna be impressed with the mess you’ll make on her carpet. Maybe you shouldn’t drink.

Page 20 – You read through this whole story sequentially
You literally ate and drank everything there was here. You end up at the hospital getting your stomach pumped. The doctors call your parents telling them you’re, “literally about to explode and get everyone in the room drunk.” You wake up in the hospital and really gotta use the bathroom, and didn’t know hangovers like this existed.

Bored in Toronto? BLASPHEMY.

When I thought about where I wanted to be in the world, as a wide-eyed teenager in Pakistan, I can promise you all that Toronto was not at the tip of my tongue. Even if you ask me now my eyes will glaze over and I shall whisper Tokyo as my most sacred of destinations. However let us not misjudge this great city! Toronto is one of the best cities in the world to live in. (Here are a few surveys to check. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_most_livable_cities)

Pretty distinctive skyline

Lets talk about Toronto!

All those neighbourhoods  you don't know the name of

Here is a beginners list of things you absolutely need to see/visit/do in Toronto!

Since Toronto hosts quite literally every nationality in the world take advantage of all the diverse food options. You can get everything from Somalian cuisine to Peking Duck. A romp through Greektown, Koreatown, Chinatown, Little India, Little Italy or a simple walk down Yonge street from College to Queen or Lawrence to Eglinton will send you past dozens of restaurants which will call to your tummy. 

Condescending Wonka = BEST. MEME. EVER.

By active night life I am referring to 'd club scene'. There are many MANY options if music and hip jiggling is your fancy. A lot of events are hosted by our very own SCSU. The Entertainment District downtown is the place to be most weekends. I saw David Guetta (before he was mainstream) at Circa  and I can assure you live DJ > auto-tuned 'music'. Warning, though, clubs are full of greasy men trying to take advantage of the claustrophobic crowds, so go with a group. Safety in numbers! Karaoke bars are open really late and are an amazing way to steer clear of crowds.

When I talk about the safety factor I am of course comparing it to my hometown of Karachi, where I was not allowed to walk down the street to a grocery store for valid fears of being held up. I have walked around Dundas Square at 3am with 2 female friends without a care. Bearing in mind that's a well lit and patrolled area. Queen and Spadina in the same time frame ... not a good idea.

Now I am  from a coastal town so I feel the need to see water. Hot sand on my feet and cold water to splash about in are those irreplaceable simple pleasures to me. There is the Beaches territory and the Scarborough Bluffs for those warm weather adventures.

This sculpture at the Harbourfront is fun to down on.

Let's not forget the Harbourfront which has a skating rink in the winter and the Power Plant (free contemporary art gallery) to wander through plus random events all year round. It is also the No.1 romantic walk destination. http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/winter/index.cfm#festival

For all those art geeks (hello my people) there is the Distillery District. Walk through specialty shops, art galleries and cafes. This renovated distillery plays home to our snooty hearts' desires. http://www.thedistillerydistrict.com

Sculpture is not for the weak. 

Do not forget all the festivals and cultural events! (I wonder if Boxing day counts..) TIFF, TAAFI, Cirque du Soleil, Nuit Blanche, Anime North, Comic Con and all the concerts. I recently went to a death metal concert and I gotta say the crowd was very well behaved, for death metal. Gotta love Canada. Got no money? Who cares, TIFF and IIFA (International Indian Film Festival) are great for celebrity watching. Sometimes bands do free concerts. METRIC did a couple years ago and every Canada Day and New Years there are special performances in every district of Toronto.

For all the classical music lovers and opera nerds (you are also my people), the Canadian Opera Company has a deal. Anyone under 30 qualifies for super subsidized tickets of $22 - $30 which is an amazing deal. For music students the Canadian Opera Company has an ongoing free concert series.

Saw this live. Visual and audio pleasure overload

This is really just a taste of what Toronto has to offer..

So how is anyone ever bored in this town?

I don't really know, I find it challenging.

Got any suggestions? COMMENT!

Beau Séjour

Zarish

Random note of the day:

While doing research for this blog I found THIS!!

http://awesometo.org/how-it-works/

Basically its a blog which sponsors people to be awesome! It's international too! This is the Toronto chapter.

Do We Have it Harder than our Parents? Part II

Last week I argued that us university students have it harder than our parents did.

This week, it’s time to face facts. We’re lazy; always have been. We grew up being able to get our information, our entertainment, our everything from our computers. We can use our devices to shop, play games, talk to friends, listen to music, apply for jobs, plan our finances, and read our mail. All this, without having to move an inch.

The twisted part is, U of T enables us. It sends us convenient emails about upcoming events, it posts news and course announcements and grades onto convenient websites. We can conveniently drop old courses and enrol in new ones, switch our majors, change the very direction of our lives, online. It’s all so convenient.

In The University of Google, media professor Tara Brabazon criticizes the state of university in the technological age. “As each semester progresses,” she writes, “a greater proportion of my students is reading less, referencing less, and writing with less clarity and boldness…. This group invariably writes assignments in the days before they are due, runs a spell checker through the document rather than drafts it, and relies on the internet for research material rather than course readings.” The rise of the internet, according to Brabazon, encourages poor academic achievement: the laziness of research extends to laziness in writing and editing, laziness in all aspects of academia.

Brabazon shares an anecdote in which a student approaches her after lecture, and says that she hasn’t been able to access her course readings from home. “When, with raised eyebrow, I stated that the further readings were books and articles sitting on the shelves of the library, [the student] became exasperated: ‘You mean I have to go into the library and get them?’”

That last sentence demonstrates the problem of university in the technological age: we’re used to instant access, instant gratification, instant results—anything that doesn’t play by those rules is an annoying exception.

Not that the decrease in academic performance has affected our grades. A study of Ontario universities concluded that GPAs have overwhelmingly increased in arts and science classes from 1974 to 1994. A higher percentage of students got As and Bs, and fewer got Cs, Ds, and Fs.

This is a concept known as “grade inflation,” a continuous problem in universities across the U.S. and Canada. If any professor tries to break the pattern and assign lower grades, they risk decreased enrollment in their classes and a loss of promotion or tenure because of negative course evaluations. The cycle ensures that students can receive increasingly better grades for increasingly poorer work.

Finally, university students are working less nowadays, according to a study by Babcock and Marks (2011). Between 1961 and 2003, the average hours per week students spend studying and going to class has fallen from 40 to 27. Whether this is due to technological advances or falling standards is hard to say.

All of these facts show an uncomfortable truth. We might whine about the scarcity of jobs, the rising competition and tuition rates, the high complexity of modern life, but the truth is that we suck. We are generally less capable and less patient, used to a world in which almost anything we want can be accessed from a computer. Universities enable and encourage the short-attention-span generation, and it’s for this reason that we’ve got it easier.

SSSHHH: The advantages of being an introvert in a world that just won’t stop talking

Yet, here I am, on a Sunday morning, pondering the complexities of human nature (and debating going to Tim’s), because I believe there is something to be said, not in the defense, but in further explanation, of all those introverts out there, who live life questioning their own eccentricities. It’s time we all realize that these are traits our world desperately needs.

o   

It is fascinating, the ease with which people categorize themselves as either extroverts or introverts. I myself have never truly been able to make that call. I still don’t know whether I am an outgoing homebody, or a reserved people person. Four years at UTSC, however, have shown me that extroversion and those loud-mouth qualities will take you far in life. The notion most people -- especially university students -- subscribe to is that extroverts have easier lives: they make friends more easily, make themselves heard more easily, and make their opinion in life count.

·         Introverts have more self awareness – Spending time alone provides us with the opportunity to literally think about ourselves. This is NOT an aspect of vanity; it is an acceptance of our own idiosyncrasies, and the belief that being with ourselves is a good way to get to know ourselves better. How else will you make it in the big bad world?

·         Introverts are more self-sufficient – This is not to say that every sociable human being on the planet is a needy old geezer.  Introverts have it slightly easier, though; they don’t habitually judge themselves based on what others think of them, and are more clearly able to focus on regular achievements and personal growth.

·         Introverts come to be known as measured and thoughtful – It’s hugely advantageous in the workplace. Modern employers don’t want gregariousness; they want to hire a subtle personality, one that brings reflection and consideration into any decision they make. A pressing need to make oneself heard is sometimes counterproductive, because professional work is largely dependent on teamwork.

·         Introverts are often better communicators – This is a result of thinking before one speaks. Sometimes, we don’t need our energy from relating to other people.  Introverts are better listeners, they truly process what they hear and formulate relevant responses. It isn’t difficult for them either, once you get used to mulling over your thoughts before you turn them into words, getting your message across becomes simpler, and the result more effective.

·         Introverts get the most out of public experiences – Time to debunk the myth that Introverts hate people and hate crowds. First off, this concept of ‘hating people’ needs to stay in memes and GIFS, it’s not an ideology conducive to real life. No one knows that better than the world’s introverts. They do enjoy their experiences with other people, they just don’t need to stick around as long. They get the experience that they want in less time, or with fewer people. It is essential for them to eventually leave, and process their experiences.

·         Introverts like to interact, they just need a reason to do it -- This makes most conversations they have productive, and fun. Honestly, speaking, we all have so many pointless conversations in our time. Some are hilarious because the people having them are friends/bored/stoned. Other times, small talk is a gigantic pain in your ass. Introverts don’t interact with people for the sake of it; they do so because it will be gainful, or at least enjoyable. Isn't it great? It’s like having the natural ability to avoid someone we don’t particularly like.

Can this list be viewed as mindless rhetoric? Yes. The aim is not to downplay the many benefits of extroversion; we all understand those are necessary. Yet, introverts are so underrated a lot of the time; interesting personality traits are labelled ‘weirdness’ (well, weirdness is awesome), a soft spoken response is considered ‘coldness’, and many acquaintances wildly misinterpret such facets of an introverted personality. It is high time we wake up and recognize introvert for their multiple contributions to society, specifically BECAUSE THEY ARE INTROVERTS. Comfortable (and uncomfortable) silences are oftentimes welcome, in a world that just won’t stop talking.

If you're free and want to check it out for yourself; it may not be accurate, but it's a superb waste of time.

http://healthland.time.com/2012/01/27/quiz-are-you-an-introvert-an-extrovert-or-an-ambivert/

So long UTSC,

Maha