THE I SSUE The university of Winnipeg student weekly 232006/03/23 VOLUME 60 INSIDE 02 News 06 Comments 08 Diversions 10 Arts & Culture uniter.ca 14 Features » 15 Listings 18 Sports ON THE WEB [email protected] » E-MAIL SSUE 23 I VOL. 60 2006 23, H C R A M GENDER STILL PLAYS A PART IN POLITICS 02 will stronach’s new leadership bid see the same sexism as her old one? ARE COMMERCIALS ART OR JUST ADS? 11 AT THE CANNES LIONS FESTIVal, they’re both! INNIPEG STUDENTINNIPEG WEEKLY FIGHTING CAR CULTURE W 14 DO YOU FIND THE NUMER OF CARS IN WINNIPEG EXHAUSTING? YOUTHFUL WESMEN ACHIEVE MODEST SUCCESS 20 women’s basketball gearing up for next year HE UNIVERSITY OF T ♼ March 23, 2006 The Uniter contact: [email protected] SENIOR EDITOR: LEIGHTON KLASSEN NEWS EDITOR: DEREK LESCHASIN 02 NEWS E-MAIL: [email protected] E-MAIL: [email protected] UNITER STAFF U of A Prof Says Gender Assumptions Managing Editor » Jo Snyder Still Plague Politics and Media 01 [email protected] politics, gender and mass media. Martha that men’s appearances are also often Business Coordinator & Offi ce Manager » WHITNEY LIGHT 02 James D. Patterson [email protected] BEAT REPORTER Hall Findlay, a Toronto lawyer, has con- discussed in the media and that people fi rmed that she will run and there is talk respond, in general, more positively to NEWS PRODUCTION EDITOR » 03 Derek Leschasin that Stronach is considering entering attractive candidates regardless of their [email protected] he was dubbed the “national the race, having crossed the fl oor to the competence. 04 SENIOR EDITOR » Leighton Klassen woman of mystery,” Liberal party in May 2005. For Marianne Cerilli, a part-time [email protected] S “Parliament Hill Barbie” and Trimble is interested in analyzing professor of politics at the U of W, it’s all the upcoming race, but won’t predict an in how a woman approaches the game BEAT REPORTER » Whitney Light the “great blonde hope” in 2004 by 05 [email protected] Canadian national press. Belinda outcome. That Stronach would be con- that determines how they are portrayed. Stronach was the media darling of the sidered within the context of a different “A lot of women are prepared to play in BEAT REPORTER » 06 [email protected] last federal Conservative leadership party and that her political experience the paternalistic, top-down game,” said race, garnering signifi cantly more has grown signifi cantly since 2004 could Cerilli, who in 1990 was the youngest FEATURES EDITOR » Lori Ebbitt 07 [email protected] press coverage than either of her op- affect the way she is portrayed in the woman to be elected to the Manitoba ponents, Stephen Harper and Tony media this time around, says Trimble. Legislature. “But to be a feminist in poli- ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR » Mike Lewis 08 [email protected] Clement. Despite the attention, of course, it was Harper who easily SPORTS EDITOR » Mike Pyl 09 [email protected] swept up the victory. PHOTO: WHITNEY LIGHT COMMENTS EDITOR » 10 [email protected] 11 HUMOUR EDITOR » Matt Cohen [email protected] Media are the lens PHOTO EDITOR » Wade Andrew 12 [email protected] through which citizens LISTINGS COORDINATOR » Nick Weigeldt “see politics. We have to 13 [email protected] ask, ‘Is it distorted?’” 14 COPY & STYLE EDITOR » Melody Rogan [email protected] –Linda Trimble DISTRIBUTION MANAGER » 15 Scott McArthur GRAPHICS EDITOR » Sebastian Podsiadlo 16 [email protected] Why, then, was Stronach the most visible candidate throughout the race? PRODUCTION MANAGER » Sarah Sangster 18 [email protected] And how did the media present her to Canadians? Linda Trimble, a visiting LINDA TRIMBLE ANALYZED OVER 200 NEWS ARTICLES ON THE LAST FEDERAL ADVERTISING MANAGER » Ted Turner CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP RACE. 19 [email protected] professor from the University of Alberta, 786-9779 tried to answer these questions as she presented a free public lecture last week THIS WEEK ’ S CONTRIBUTORS at the University of Winnipeg titled “Some people will point out that tics, that’s what’s missing and needed.” “Gender, Political Leadership and the gender is an issue,” says Quito Maggi, Cerilli had her own negative en- Matthew Gemmel, Ksenia Prints, Press.” manager of the Findlay campaign. “But counters with media during her term as Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson, Ben Snakepit, Iain Ramsay, In an in-depth research project, as far as Martha and the campaign is an MLA, partly because she was a Matt Urban, William O’Donnell, Dana Krawchuk, Trimble analyzed 268 stories printed in Kenton Smith, Dan Huyghebaert, Josh Boulding, concerned, there will be capable men woman, and partly because she was Sarah Hauch, Brad Pennington, Jaya Beange, The Globe and Mail and The National and capable women.” “young, ethnic, and radicalized.” “I got Loren March, Ed Cheung, S. Babb, Jocelyn Hirose Post on the topic of the Conservative Maggi doesn’t think that the fact the shit kicked out of me by the media leadership race. Her goal was to identify Findlay is a woman is the only reason because I called the Tories a bunch of The Uniter is the offi cial student newspaper of the University differences between the media coverage media are interested in her appearance old white guys,” she recalls. “I was of Winnipeg and is published by the University of Winnipeg Students’ Association. The Uniter is editorially autonomous of male and female candidates and the and background rather than just the po- treated badly not just because I’m a and the opinions expressed within do not necessarily refl ect those of the UWSA. The Uniter is a member of the Canadian promotion of sex role stereotypes. litical issues. “If you don’t have the woman but because I’m an University Press and Campus Plus Media Services. “Media are the lens through which image fi rst, the whole package, it never eco-feminist.” SUBMISSION OF ARTICLES, LETTERS, PHOTOS AND citizens see politics,” says Trimble. “We GRAPHICS ARE WELCOME Articles should be submitted gets to the substance. People won’t give “The norms of performance and in text or Microsoft Word format to [email protected]. have to ask, ‘Is it distorted?’” Deadline for submissions is noon Friday (contact the section’s you the opportunity to get to the next evaluation remain masculine,” Trimble editor for more information). Deadline for advertisements What Trimble’s research revealed is noon Friday, six days prior to publication. The Uniter step.” says. “Women seeking political roles reserves the right to refuse to print submitted material. was that Stronach’s visibility was not The Uniter will not print submissions that are homophobic, To some extent, Trimble agrees disrupt deeply entrenched gendered misogynistic, racist or libelous. We also reserve the right to due to her “winnability” factor – Harper there are other factors at work besides assumptions.” edit for length or style. was pegged as the most viable candidate the issue of gender. She acknowledges – but to her news value. A woman in the CONTACT US » General Inquiries: 204.786.9790 race was seen as a novelty, says Trimble, Advertising: 204.786.9779 Editors: 204.786.9497 and the press was eager to exploit the Fax: 204.783.7080 spice and sex appeal. Signifi cantly more Email: [email protected] stories about Stronach focused on her LOCATION » Room ORM14 background than did stories about her University of Winnipeg male competitors. Also, one third of sto- 515 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9 ries talked about her looks, 14 per cent mentioning them fi rst. Unfortunately for Stronach, the result was that she became a caricature, COVER IMAGE says Trimble, a “silent beauty” who kept “BETWEEN AWAKE & ASLEEP” (DETAIL) her mouth shut for the good of the party. ACRYLIC ON CANVAS BY: RODRIGO PRADEL “She was seen as not remotely PHOTO BY: RODRIGO PRADEL qualifi ed.” Albert Hub Gallery presents: Spring MELEE Show With the federal Liberals gearing including Shouresh Jalili, Rodrigo Pradel, Peter Farmer, Ameer Kashmiri, Evan Quiring, Andres Nieto & more. up for a leadership race in light of Paul Martin’s stepping down, a new opportu- April 6th @ Osborne Freehouse nity emerges for the examination of contact: [email protected] The Uniter March 23, 2006 NEWS 03 World News Report COMPLIED BY DEREK LESCHASIN SERBIA-MONTENEGRO – Hundreds of people lined up last week in Belgrade to view the body of former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic - on display in a closed coffi n - CNN reported. Milosevic passed away earlier this month in the Hague, where he had been facing trial as a war criminal for atrocities committed during the Balkans wars and Serbian persecution of civilians in Kosovo. Offi cially, Milosevic died of a heart attack, though theories surrounding the circumstances range from poisoning to allegations that Milosevic had deliberately taken smuggled drugs in order to undermine his own health. However, last Friday the CBC reported that the toxicological analysis of Milosevic’s blood conducted by the War Crimes Tribunal revealed no traces of either poison or medical drugs. Milosevic was buried in his hometown of Pozarevac on Saturday. The Serbian government, which was involved in the dictator’s ousting four years ago, declined to provide state services. JAPAN – Education authorities are cracking down on rebellious pupils and students who refuse to stand and sing the national anthem – compulsory in Japanese schools since 1999 – The Independent reported last week. Tokyo’s education authorities issued a directive to head teachers to make sure that students stand to attention during the national anthem. The government made standing compulsory in an effort to boost patriotism. However, the anthem is strongly nationalistic, and brings back memories of Japan’s militaristic and expansionist past for many people.