Author: Diandra D’Alessio

Analyzing the court case that gained the attention of both the media and the world

Have you ever wondered what happened to celebrities who seem to disappear from public consciousness? Maybe they’ve retired, wanted to raise a family out of the spotlight, or have moved on to other projects.

This is not the case for Kesha, or as we’ve known her for most of her career, Ke$ha. The reason she hasn’t released music for over three years, in fact, is far more sinister.

Since October 2014, she’s been embroiled in a contentious legal battle with her producer, Dr. Luke, over allegations that he emotionally and sexually abused her over the 10 years they’ve worked together. Last week, a New York Supreme Court denied Kesha’s request that she be released from her contract with Kemosabe Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment, which is owned by Dr. Luke. Essentially, this means that Kesha will be forced to continue to work with her alleged abuser, and he will forever profit from the royalties generated from her music.

Pictures of Kesha after the verdict show a devastated woman, and not the confident singer-songwriter the world has come to know. Her career began when she was 18, and apart from her two albums, she has co-written songs for Miley Cyrus, Miranda Cosgrove, and Britney Spears, among others.

Kesha’s music has many themes, including individuality, magic, rebellion, and most famously, partying, but there is more to her than meets the ear. She obtained a near-perfect score on her SATs in high school according to the Huffington Post, and aside from her music career, she has become renowned for her LGBT and animal rights activism. As of 2016, Kesha has received 64 award nominations, winning 15, and has sold over 60 million albums worldwide.

But with fame often comes a dark side. In the winter of 2014, Kesha underwent treatment for bulimia, which her mother said was the result of Dr. Luke pressuring her to lose weight according to People.

When I first heard about this, I was saddened, but not surprised. Watch the music video for her and Pitbull’s song “Timber” and you’ll see just how thin she got. It was clear that whatever was happening to her was bad.

What is perhaps most unsettling about the case is that this is yet another instance where powerful men seem to have the upper hand. Dr. Luke is one of the biggest players in the music industry today, having produced and written dozens of hit songs and albums within the past 10 years. He’s probably been somehow involved in the Top 40 song you’re listening to right now. And as the Bill Cosby and Jian Ghomeshi cases have shown, he’s not the first entertainment heavyweight to get entangled in abuse allegations and unfortunately won’t be the last.

Whether or not Dr. Luke is guilty of abusing Kesha, the overwhelming support she has received since the ruling is incredibly touching, and perhaps revealing. Several musicians, including Lady Gaga, Tegan and Sara, Lorde, Halsey, and Miley Cyrus tweeted in solidarity, while Taylor Swift donated $250,000 to help cover Kesha’s financial fees according to Rolling Stone. Adele voiced her support during an acceptance speech at the 2016 Brit Awards, and Jack Antonoff and Zedd offered to be her producers.

Even those outside the music world, including George Takei, Anne Hathaway, and Mariska Hargitay rallied to her defense. Kesha may have lost the battle, but Dr. Luke hasn’t won the war.

Ultimately, two things are certain—for now, Kesha must be under Dr. Luke’s label, and despite the court’s findings, only she and Dr. Luke know what really happened. And yet, while she is clearly upset with the outcome, I argue that something good will come out of this.

The truth always comes out in the end, but more concretely, the case has grown into something bigger than itself. It’s not only about rape culture, the (alleged) abuse of power, and the dark underbelly of stardom.

It’s also about how others will reach out to those who need help, and whether they do so through thoughts, words, or actions, they show that people care. As Kesha wrote in her first public statement since the verdict, “We’re all in this together. You are not alone.”

You’d go to the doctor if your leg hurt everyday, so why not seek help for mental health?

These past few weeks, you might’ve seen commercials supporting Bell’s annual Let’s Talk campaign, which takes place this year on Jan. 27.

The commercials feature people alternately  dismissing and then expressing genuine concern over their colleagues’ mental health issues. These ads highlight the often-taboo nature of mental illness and how it’s sometimes not taken seriously, but the facts show that mental illness and its consequences are all too real.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, one in five Canadians will experience some form of mental illness in their lifetime. It’s also estimated that 22 per cent of Canadians have mood or anxiety disorders, while roughly 3 million are currently battling depression.

Tragically, about 4,000 Canadians take their own lives each year, and suicide is the second leading cause of death among Canadians aged 15 to 24 according to the same source.

With figures like these, chances are you or someone you know has experienced mental health issues, but there’s still stigma surrounding this. The Canadian Medical Association says that only a third of mentally ill people seek treatment, while others do not, sometimes out of fear or embarrassment.

But I speak from experience when I say that there’s no reason to be afraid or embarrassed when it comes to getting help. While I’ve never been diagnosed with a mental illness, I have suffered from chronic low self-esteem.

Full disclosure: I recognize that low self-esteem is not a mental illness, and I’m not trying to make light of depression, anxiety, or other disorders. However, my insecurities and failings would sometimes affect me to the point of breaking down and feeling hopeless.

Eventually accepting that this had to stop, I sought therapy two years ago. I only went for two sessions, but talking with a therapist confirmed what I already knew deep down.

I realized that my negative thoughts were all in my head and that I was being way too hard on myself. I still have my off days like everyone else, but because of therapy I’m in a much better place now and continue to learn to love myself.

I understand that sometimes counselling alone won’t cut it, and that some people’s cases require medication. There’s nothing wrong with that either.

What matters is that anyone who is suffering from mental illness gets the help he or she needs, and as soon as possible. Of course, the first step is to talk about it. I’m very fortunate to have a supportive circle of family and friends to turn to, and I realize that this is not always the case, but I promise you at least one person cares.

At least one person will lend you an ear and a shoulder to lean on. We owe it to ourselves to be happy, and while it’s important to be kind to each other, it’s just as important to be kind to ourselves.

To anyone dealing with mental health issues, know that you’re not alone, and that through getting help, it really does get better.

Note: Need someone to talk to on campus? Contact Concordia’s counselling and psychological services at Sir George Williams campus at (514) 848-2424, ext. 3545, and at Loyola at (514) 848-2424, ext. 3555.  concordia.ca/offices/counselling-psychological-services.html

Alternatively, visit amiquebec.org/listening-services/ for a list of mental health helplines in Montreal and across Canada.

New, icy, low-cost airline cleared for landing in Montreal but will it be worth the extra fees?

For seven months now, I’ve been working part-time for the international duty-free at Trudeau Airport. I’ve got to admit, it’s pretty fun for a student job. I get to meet people from all over the world, hand them shopping baskets and—to the delight of many tourists—alcohol samples (ask me about the Sortilège).

Along with the tourists, I also get to keep track of the faraway destinations they’ll head off to, thanks to departure listings displayed in store. There seem to be more flights to Paris than anywhere else, but one can also get direct flights to cities like London, Amsterdam, Casablanca, and now even to Beijing most days of the week.

While many of my friends were lucky enough to travel this summer (including my sisters on separate trips to Europe), I was finishing up my MA and decided to enjoy at least a bit of summer here in Montreal. I was happy to hear that my sisters had trips of a lifetime, but they both agreed that their flights left much to be desired. One went with Air Transat, the other with no-frills Air Canada Rouge, and paid full price for cramped seats and limited amenities.

I’d like to travel to Europe soon but I also wouldn’t want to risk splurging on a so-so flight. So when I heard that WOW Air, a budget airline based in Iceland, would launch one-way flights from Montreal to Reykjavik and other European cities for as little as $99 or $149 starting May 2016, you could imagine my excitement.

Then I went to WOW Air’s website. I was disappointed to find the much touted $99 or even $149 one-way fares absent from the listings, but prices for flights in 2016 are still very affordable. For example, if I were to have a direct, round-trip flight from Montreal to Reykjavík, leaving on May 20 and returning on May 27, it would cost $478.77. Economy class on Icelandair would cost $200 more, and that’s if I left one day earlier and returned one day later. Same dates would cost over $900, and I’d have to connect via Toronto.

WOW Air is certainly not the first budget airline to reach Canada (JetsGo went bust in 2005) and Queen’s University marketing professor Ken Wong told the CBC that WOW Air’s cheap, no-frills nature could render it a niche service. It’s cheap for a reason though. You’ll have to pay extra for everything except your cramped seat and the shirt on your back, like $82 for a seat with more legroom and steep checked bag fees.

Ultimately, although only time will tell if WOW Air takes off in Montreal (pun intended), I remain optimistic. Budget airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet are hugely popular in Europe, and by saving money on a flight without the bells and whistles, one could spend more on the vacation itself. And as a side note, I’ve always wanted to see the Northern Lights and chill (or warm up?) in the Blue Lagoon. With WOW Air cleared for landing, I’ll be one step closer.

Concordia’s planned reform is a good first step

Last week, hundreds of excited froshies—sorry, “Launchies”—partied it up before the real fun; their first year as undergraduates at Concordia University. Even though it was four years ago, I still remember my own frosh like it was yesterday. Lots of games, lots of food, lots of beer, and of course lots of hormones.

Speaking of that last one, each ASFA froshie got a drawstring bag full of goodies, including condoms. It was one thing to promote safe sex, but what Concordia and other universities lacked at the time was an emphasis on consent, as well as clarity on what constitutes sexual assault and harassment. That is exactly why Concordia’s recently revised policies on the matter are a step in the right direction.

The report on this policy review notes that Concordia has a lengthy history of initiatives meant to address sexual harassment and assault cases. In 1987, Concordia became the first university to have a sexual harassment advisor, and was among the first to create a policy on sexual harassment in the early 1990s. The report states that it was not inspired “as a result of a specific incident on the Concordia campus.” However, in light of the last year’s Mei-Ling incident involving sexual harassment within ASFA and recent discussions about rape culture across North American campuses, it rather conveniently came out before the official start of the school year and during frosh week.

From the start, the report already shows signs of improvement, particularly in its terminology. A tiny disclaimer at the bottom of the table of contents emphasizes that “survivor” will replace “victim … to empower those affected by sexual violence.”

Moreover, the report wisely encouraged the use of gender-neutral language. It’s important to remember that perpetrators and survivors of sexual assault and harassment can be of either gender (e.g. male against female, female against male, male against male, female against female). By using gender-neutral language, the report is also more inclusive of Concordia’s LGBTQ community.

The report makes excellent recommendations throughout, but it shines particularly in its use of the term “sexual violence,” a far more comprehensive term than simply “sexual assault” or “sexual harassment.” Instead, these latter terms are just part of its broad definition, which is “any violence, physical or psychological, carried out through sexual means or by targeting sexuality.” When applied to Concordia’s case, this definition covers not only rape survivors, but also those who have endured sexual harassment, cyber-bullying, and stalking, among others.

Ultimately, despite the report’s merits, the onus is on the entire Concordia community, be they students, faculty, staff, or administration, to ensure that everyone is safe on and off campus. Also, survivors of sexual violence need not be afraid to come forward, since someone will always listen. My greatest hope is that the concepts of consent and sexual violence become fully understood, so that anyone, from froshies to grad students, can make the most out of university during their studies and beyond.