THEVOICE | 6 TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018 | EDITOR NATALIA BUENDIA CALVILLO orn is violent toward women f we really want to consider the consequences of easily ac- cessible porn, we must con- sider the content. A recent New York Times article suggested that pornography is the ‘The largest peer-reviewed sys- tematic study of the content of por- nography was done in 2010 by the University of Arkansas. They stud- ied 304 pornographic scenes where, on average, each scene featured 11 primary — — acts of ag- way that ‘a . gression. adoles- Butifthe average agethat | ~ Eighty- cents learn . . . eight per about sex. kids first see pornis eight | cent of the Studi . fea- se Th or nine years old what, eee nts Pm Pro | exactly are they likely to ve mye attempt see?” sion, most to grapple LL commonly: with the consequences of growing up with unlimited and instant ac- cess to internet pornography. But if the average age that kids first see porn is eight or nine years old what, exactly are they likely to see? spanking, gagging, , slapping hair pulling and choking. In 94 per cent of these scenes, women were the targets of the aggression. The ag- gressors were mostly men. Women responded favourably 95 per cent of the time, meaning they registered no objections to these acts and demonstrated satisfaction with moaning or words of encour- agement. In the very few scenes where men were the targets of ag- gression, they were never gageed or choked. Men were four times more likely than women to take excep- tion to being slapped or spanked. Only 9.9 per cent of the scenes featured positive sexuality and consensual behaviours like kissing, laughing, embracing, ca- OPINION into the darkest corners of the In- ternet to find titles like Teen F** Holes, Anal Teen Tryouts, Teenage Spermaholics #3 and Barely Legal #50. ‘They did not need to oy Dy go to the hardcore fring- | es to find frequent depic- tions of sex acts that they categorized as “unusual.” These can't be described here but what they have in common is that they are painful and risky and humiliating for women. If we're going to grap- ple with the consequenc- ressing, verbal compli- LISA es of pornography we mente and references. to STEACY need to reckon with the love. fact that easily-accessible ‘These researchers deliberately pornographic material sexualizes focused their study on mainstream, violence against women. popular pornography. And it makes billions of dollars ‘Ihey did not need to venture in profit by doing so. Golf is the only game that takes up so much Space, you have to use a little car to get around The Langara golf club has been called the most unplayable golf course during the winter months. cio€ LOGAN /LLUSTRATION Give up the green space, golfers or almost 90 years, Pee fields of the ine gara golf course have only served and pleased golfers; it is time that others in the community enjoy the green space without restrictions. Mayor Gregor Robertson ignited discussions when he took a U-turn during a recent city council meet- ing by suggesting that instead of improving the waterlogged course’s drainage system, the area could be turned into a public park. Spending $3 million in taxpayers’ money on a drainage system just to attract more golfers to the course is a decision that caters to an exclu- sive audience that doesn't benefit the community as a whole. Housing activists say more homes should be built on the green space, but people often ignore the fact OPINION that areas with trees and grass are essential for a healthy community. Research has shown that people who interact with nature feel more at ease and have an improved well-being. A study by the International Journal of Envi- ronmental Re- search and Pub- lic Health found NATALIA that people re- BUENDIA ported feeling CALVILLO healthier and felt less stressed around trees and nature. Given that the golf course is located within walking distance from Langara College, the free anti-stress perks could benefit col- lege students by allowing them to have troubled those who want to perfect their putting skills, but hav- ing a public park will offer free dos- visit the 6,000 ___es of natu- yards of green- ral calming heat’ | “Research hasshown | mst areen ving | that people who interact | m'"ity also helps re- with nature feel more as Keep: uce air pol- ing the air lutants and at ease and have an clean, , improve air . . ether quality Stud- improved well-being.” relaxing by ies published a tree, tak- on the En- [_ _| ing — chil- vironmental dren to the Research journal have reported that green spaces in cities help the puri- fication of air and regulate climate by absorbing carbon. Robertson's green decision may playground or playing a friendly soccer match, more members of the community could enjoy nature if the green area is not limited to a golf-only space. Viewpoints Research needs hile Justin Trudeau has promised to have mari- juana legalized by the summer of 2018, obtaining mari- juana plants for scientific studies continues to be a problem, at least for Langara researchers. Scientists should not have to jump through hoops to obtain ille- gal substances for research purpos- es. As the legalization of cannabis looms, it is more important than ever for researchers to have access to pot plants to better understand its uses and effects. ‘The Langara Cannabis Research Group, which is made up of math, chemistry, health sciences and bi- ology professors have experienced complications with their recent marijuana-related studies, despite the studies being carried out strictly for educational purposes. According to the research group, there are federal regulations that apply to research being done direct- ly on the cannabis plant. These reg- ulations dictate that the labora- tories must be under heavy se- curity. This led to the team of re- searchers being unable to obtain marijuana. Given that de- spite marijuana OPINION legalization —_is BILLY merely _ several CROSBY months away, there continue to be complications regarding the government allowing researchers access to pot. This forces us to put into perspective the even greater struggles researchers must have faced in trying to access the plant back when marijuana legalization was not something in the foresee- able future. Timing is also relevant in that knowledge on the subject has never been more important, given how close we are to marijuana legaliza- tion, it’s crucial to fully understand the effects. Ultimately the team found a way to conduct their research using crowd-sourced data from an anony- mous organization. Pot legalization should hopefully make marijuana research easier for any future researchers hoping to delve into the science of marijuana and the effects it has on people. We want to hear from you Have a different point of view? Write to us. Have a concern with something we've said? Let us know. Think we got a fact wrong? Tell us. Erica Bulman oversees The Voice. Email: ebulman@langara.be.ca The Voice is pub- lished by Langara College’s joumalism government and administration. We welcome letters to department. Editorial — the editor. They may opinions are those be edited for brevity. of the staff and Your letter must in- are independent of clude your name and views of the student phone number. HOW TO DROP-IN REACH US Room A226 Langara College PHONE 604-323-5396 SNAIL MAIL The Voice E-MAIL 100 West 49th Ave. thevoice@langara. Vancouver, B.C. be.ca V5Y 226 WEBSITE langaravoice.ca CITY EDITOR Myra Dionne Jennifer Wilson PAGE 4&5 Perrin Grauer CITY DESKER PAGE 6 Becca Clarkson Natalia Buendia Calvillo PAGE EDITORS PAGE 7 PAGE 1 Lisa Tanh Ana Rose Walkey PAGE 8 PAGE 2 Nick Valka Danica Walker PAGE 3 REPORTERS Agazy Mengesha Amanda Poole Cameron Thomson Cloe Logan Desirée Garcia Gabrielle Plonka Lisa Steacy Nikitha Martins William Crosby FACULTY MANAGING EDITOR Erica Bulman CONTACT US Online at langaravoice.ca Twitter @lLangaraVoice