Q &

The most overrated mainstream groups
Why Rush is one of the greatest bands of

all time

¥ Virginity: An outdated, harmful, fictional
concept

And more!

Why Rush 1s one of the greatest
bands of all time

> Canadian group's legacy will never be matched

Cazzy Lewchuk
Opinions Editor

 

isclaimer: | absolutely love Rush. I

have “I Love You, Man” moments
with fellow fans constantly. I listen to
them every day. I’ve seen them live several
times, and I came close to crying about
a year ago when they announced they
probably won't be touring in the future.

Why do I love them so much? Quite
simply, because I genuinely believe they're
one of the greatest rock bands of all time.
They've sold over 40 million albums, and
have more gold and platinum albums than
any other group except The Beatles and
The Rolling Stones. They’ve had the same
members since 1974, recording albums
almost consistently from 1974 to 2012.

And what a lineup of members it
is. The most regarded is drummer and
lyricist Neil Peart. He’s well-regarded by
music fans and critics alike as being one of
the best drummers ever. On stage, he plays
with over 50 drum heads in a 360-degree
setup that’s honestly unimaginable.
He’s an amazingly intelligent man,

shedding traditional “Rock n’ Roll”
lyrics for ones about politics, science
fiction, fantasy, and philosophy. Indeed,
Rush’s lyrics are incredibly complex for
such a large rock band, and several of
their albums are full-on rock operas.
Rush’s complex time signatures and
songs make it hard to believe there are
only three members of the band. Lead

 

singer and bassist Geddy Lee constantly
switches instruments in studio and

live mid-song, including keyboard

and percussion. Many think Rush’s
singer is a woman at first listen—he
hits high notes unlike any who have
come before. He’s been going strong

for over 40 years, and has never lost his
pitch, like so many other aging stars.

Alex Lifeson, while no doubt
overshadowed by his bandmates, is still
a pretty great guitarist. The solos on
Limelight or Dreamline alone are enough
to rival any major legendary guitarist.

Perhaps Rush’s most endearing
factor is their genuine and unapologetic
commitment to being Rush. Not
once have they ever tried to adapt to
mainstream rock or create a sound that’s
not distinctly Rush. Nevertheless, their
sound has evolved and changed with
general styles of the time, and their
20 studio albums are each distinctive
and experimental. Rush is Rush for
their own sake, and it works.

While many Canadian groups come
and go, forced into our ears through
the CanCon laws, and even with The
Tragically Hip’s legacy being celebrated
more than ever these days, no one will
ever have the impact Rush has had.
Their fan base—in which I, of course, am
included—has long term dedication.

There are few bands like
Rush, and there will never be
another quite like them.

Possession and consumption of all
drugs should be decriminalised

> Benefits of decriminalisation help society

Carlos Bilan
Staff Writer

 

irst of all, I would like to start by saying

Iam not a consumer of drugs. In fact,
I really don’t see the appeal behind it. My
opinion on drugs is the same as cigarettes;
they’re both vices, and people who want to
consume them will keep consuming them.
So, really, why should we stop them? It
is their choice to make, and if they are
willing to accept the consequences it could
have on their health, then that’s on them.
This is my ethical perspective on the topic
of drugs. I do not condone drug use, but
I don't think drugs should be considered
as bad as murder. So why should they be
criminalised to the same extent?

As astudent in Economics, I can

say that decriminalisation of drugs will
bring many economic benefits. There is
a concept called the price elasticity of
demand. It’s a units-free measurement
of the responsiveness of the quantity
demanded of a good toa change in price—
assuming that every other influence on
buying plans remain the same. Basically,
if the price of a product increases and
people buy lesser quantities of a product,
then the demand of that product is said
to be elastic. If the price of a product

 

increases and people still continue buying
the same amount, then demand for that
product is inelastic.

From this scenario, it is evident that
drugs have inelastic demand, because
even when they're priced really high,
consumers of drugs will still purchase
them, due to their addiction or strong
desire. You can then say that cigarettes

also have an inelastic demand, because
people who are addicted to smoking will
be willing to pay to satisfy their need.

If cigarettes are legal and obviously

bad for your health, then why should
drugs be prohibited when they're both
harmful? Further, the decriminalisation
of drugs will lead to drugs being taxed
and regulated by the government, which

Image via via mMemegenerator.net

will greatly benefit our economy. This

tax can be used towards the creation and
development of drug therapy, supervised
injection sites, drug awareness campaigns,
drug prevention, and many more services
that can benefit society as a whole.

Portugal abolished all criminal
penalties related to drug possession
in 2001. The government provided
therapy for drug users instead of prison
sentences. According to the research
findings led by Glenn Greenwald and
commissioned by the Cato Institute,
the outcome has been very positive five
years after decriminalisation. The rate
of HIV infections from the injection of
drugs has been decreasing dramatically
every year, deaths involving drugs like
heroin have been cut by more than
half, a lower number of teenagers have
been consuming drugs illegally, and the
number of individuals seeking recovery
and treatment for drug addiction has
doubled. In fact, it was sucha success that
their neighbouring countries, Spain and
Italy, followed the Portugal model.

Of course, when the liberalization of
drugs takes place, there will still be an age
requirement and the quantity consumed
will be monitored. The goal of drug
liberalization is to achieve the positive
results shown by the Portugal model.