6 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCT. 16, 2014 EDITOR ASH KELLY lewpoints Yes, we all need nthusiastic consent can make for some great sex. Conversely, sex lacking in consent can be a devastating, life altering experience. California’s new “yes means yes” legislation is a great step in a positive direction. Like prescription painkillers, the law only treats symptoms of rape culture, not the causes. We need to go further in developing our understanding of rape and rape culture so that we can combat the societal issues contributing to the acceptance of rape in campus seitings. We live in a highly sexualized society, but we don’t talk openly about sex. It’s easy to understand how anxieties about sexual activity exist for college students. If we don’t feel comfortable talking about sex, then how can we talk about rape? If I was raped right now, the burden of proof would be on me, the victim, to prove that at some point leading up to the rape, I said no. The accused bears little responsibility in this illegal exchange. Perhaps I was drunk and couldn’t form a full sentence yet alone grant enthusiastic consent. The logical leap in current Canadian law says that the rape was therefore my fault. If I didn’t say no, I was asking for it. Thankfully, that has changed in California. Women are still persecuted for having “feminist” viewpoints, threatened with rape and violence for facilitating healthy conversa- tions abut sex and gender, and very little is done about it. Am I asking for it by drinking, by wearing a sexy dress, by flirting, by asking for equal pay? What strikes me as far as the “yes means yes” law to talk about sex goes, is that the only way to ask for it, is to literally ask for it. Defining consent in this way does away with the “blurred lines” of the past, but we can go further by deepening the conversation around issues of gender inequality, and accelerate meaningful change. OPINION ASH KELLY Breaking up is hard to do on Facebook oes it drive you insane when D::: partner or ex “likes” a picture of someone else on Facebook? Do you lurk their page like a fiend? Been there. To cope with “ex addiction”, some people seek help online. Welcome to Exaholics.com, the site with a 12-step program designed to help people recover from a breakup. Modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous, Exaholics. com has a ‘counting days’ system where users declare the number of days they have last contacted their ex. 1,500 users appear to get help from this site. However, should you really go online to get over your ex? Too much social media can ruin relationships and, consequently, makes it much too easy for exes to “e-stalk” each other and obsess in a creepy way. Facebook has made me jealous and even paranoid. It was ridiculous. I started to imagine worst-case scenarios because of “likes” and photo comments. I’m not saying you shouldn’t use social media at all, just don’t overdo it. I was admittedly heartbroken after my relationship ended. I saw my friends, went out, and connected with the real world. I wouldn’t say I was an “exaholic” but it really helped. I encourage you to get off your computers, and communicate face-to-face. That’s what'll save your relation- ship, and your sanity, after a breakup. OPINION SHANNON LYNCH We want to hear from you Got a different point of view? Write to us. Think we get a fact wrong? Tell us. Problems with something we've said? Let us know. Journalism instructor Erica Bulman oversees The Voice, Email her at ebulman@langara.be.ca My phone is buzzing like crazy today! Maybe you should turn off the alerts for every time your ex posts something on Facebookr ” JL By Ash Kelly There's no privacy on cellphones There was this terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. I considered getting off the bus to go back. I would be late to class, and I would also be pathetic. Can’t I survive for one day without it? No one will know where Tam or what I’m doing. Then I began to see how that could be a good thing. The day I left my phone at home, I was alone with my thoughts and that was a pretty good feeling. From inside the bus. I checked out people’s clothes, their shoes, hairstyles and scarves. I wondered where they came from and where they were going and what they had T= other day, I forgot my phone. for breakfast. I tried not to stare, though. I wanted to respect people’s privacy. Then I had to smile. They were all staring into their phones ~ soulfully. Even the ones with friends or kids. All of them with their phones, thinking they were in their own little bubbles, communing deeply with the latest Huffington Post celebrity top-ten list. But they were not alone. They were all being followed. Hundreds of advertisers were in that bus with them, finding out more about what they like to read, what they like to click and what they might want to buy. Google was tracking them by satellite and their next search will be just the teeniest bit slanted in the direction of what they were doing at that precise moment. Data was flowing into that bus, yes, but it was also flowing out. Tt wasn’t exactly creepy, like a peeping Tom or something. But it was good to remember that we are always being noticed, there is less privacy than we think, and our actions affect our algorithms ~ all the time. OPINION MARY BEACH The Voice is published by Langara College's journalism department. Editorial opinions are those of the staff and are independent of views of the student government and administration. We welcome letters to the editor. All letters must be signed. They may be edited for brevity. Names may be withheld in special cases, but your letter must include your name and phone number. HOW TO REACH US PHONE 604-323-5396 FAX 604-323-5398 E-MAIL thevoice@langara.be.ca DROP-IN Room A226 Langara College There is a mailbox at the entrance to the journalism rooms. SNAIL MAIL The Voice 100 West 49th Ave. Vancouver, B.C. VSY 226 WEBSITE wwwilangaravoice.com EDITORIAL STAFF THIS ISSUE: MANAGING EDITOR/ PAGE 6 Ash Kelly PAGE EDITORS PAGE 1 Ali Crane PAGE 2 Edrick Dudang PAGE 3 Karly Blats PAGE 4 Renee Sutton PAGE 5 Edmond Lu PAGE 7 Megan Bobetsis PAGE 8 Chiis Slater WEB EDITORS Mike Hodder Madelyn Forsyth Ashley Legassic David LaRiviere Lukasz Jonca REPORTERS Lena Alsayegh Mary Beach Natasha Chang Vivian Chui Alice D'Eon Charlotte Drewett Melissa Edgar James Goldie Jessica Hovanes Nich Johansen Shannon Lynch Sableen Minhas Jonathan Parkin Kera-Skocylas Sandra Powlik Orvis Noel Contact us: Online at langaravoice.com Twitter at @langaraVoice