opinions // no. 16 Stop giving lying rich politicians your empathy » Why are so many defending Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s flaunting of wealth? Luana Ross Contributor Rw Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was riticized for wearing a $580 dress. In response, AOC said “Yep! I rent, borrow, and thrift my clothes.” "(It’s also environmentally sustainable!) The Post is just mad that you can look good fighting for working families. Sequins are a great accessory to universal healthcare, don’t you agree?” AOC has been criticized for being rich and pretending to be poor before. She wore a green suit, valued at $3000 dollars, for a photoshoot with construction workers. That time around, she similarly stated that the clothes were lent to her—this time for the express purpose of taking photos. In both events, she—a self-proclaimed “democratic socialist”—failed to address the heart of the issue. Even if she or her team is renting, borrowing, or thrifting these extravagant clothes, she is still well above the means of how she is representing herself in the media. She’s previously claimed that she wouldn't be able to afford a place in Washington, DC because she wouldn't be paid until she started working in Congress. Her communications director claimed that she had less than $7,000 in savings. Yet, ina financial record of hers, she reported having $15,000 to $50,000 in her savings account during that period. (Before her now-yearly income of $174,000 as a member of Congress.) Her team predictably backpedaled on that one hard. There are clear contradictions in her personal wealth and what she claims her means are at. It is despicable that she attempts to tailor her image to make it look like she is experiencing “the struggle” when the facts clearly disagree with that. To clarify, I don’t think that there is anything wrong with a politician using their hard-earned wealth to clean-up their image. It is important to present well and there is nothing inherently wrong with her buying expensive clothes to uphold a certain level of professionalism. There is nothing wrong with her wearing dresses or nice clothes. The issue lies in the contradiction of preaching that she experiences the common struggle and wants to enact socialism so she, along with everyone else who has money struggles, can have a better life. She sells herself as a common person who would benefit from her proposed policy changes, yet she’s clearly a part of the elite. Why would an elite lie about being an elite? Why is she attempting to hide her access to wealth? It’s hard to take her seriously knowing that she’s making attempts to be relatable through a contrived financial situation. Her critics take these fancy outfits of hers as an opportunity to point out the hypocrisy, yet her response is to claim that she is renting, borrowing, or thrifting. Does she really have friends that are willing to lend her a $3000 outfit for dirt cheap? Did she really find a $580 retail value dress at a thrift store? If one is going to campaign on the theotherpress.ca Illustration by Janis McMath fact that they know the struggle of the low-income and middle-income classes, then it is insulting to see them constantly flaunting their wealth. It seems clear that she isn’t a part of the class she’s attempting to win-over through a claimed “shared struggle.” Yet it is also clear that the same system she insists she has suffered in has afforded her luxuries most haven't attained. That’s obviously not good for her anti- rich, wealth-for-all image she’s built. But it’s certainly in line with other Democrats strategies (Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton having three houses each). AOC needs to admit that she doesn't have the lived experience to talk for those who are low and middle income. She should represent herself honestly as the very well-off politician she is. She’s not relatable. Be suspicious when rich people tell you that they're just like you; no politician is poor. VIOUR Have an idea for a story? M humour@theotherpress.ca How to properly and rationally prepare for the end of the word > An interview with an expert on stockpiling supplies during virus outbreaks Caroline Ho Web Editor QO) verwneimed by news about coronavirus outbreaks and the frantic stocking up on supplies? Worried that youre going to run out of toilet paper at any minute now? Fortunately for our dear panicked readers, the Other Press sat down with Erma Gideon, Vice President of the Homeowners Organization of Accumulating Reserves for Disasters (HOARD), to talk about the best strategies for surviving a quarantine and/or apocalypse. OP: How severe do you think the coronavirus situation will get? HOARD: “Ona scale of ‘it’s too sunny to step outside’ to ‘full-blown nuclear winter, | rate this situation two points above a “man, Iam too hungover to put on pants.” OP: Has your organization anticipated a disaster of this magnitude happening? HOARD: “If I say yes, does that give me the right to crack ‘hindsight 2020’ jokes?” OP: What's the best thing to stock up on? HOARD: “Dont bother with those plebeian goods like toilet paper or non-perishable foods—those are for sheeple. No, the real pro tip is to go for greeting cards.” OP: ... Why greeting cards? HOARD: “Because there’s one for absolutely every occasion and every relationship with another human being imaginable! Nothing says ‘I’m prepared for any and every possible world-ending scenario’ like a card that expresses this precise state of mind to your best friend’s manager’s second ex-wife’s chiropractor, with just the right amount of emotional distance. Besides, have you seen how stupidly expensive those things are? Eight bucks for a flimsy, glitter-covered piece of paper?? Better build up your stash before inflation puts them on par with, like, pine nuts.” OP: Where's the best place to go buy supplies? HOARD: “Our number one recommendation is Costco, of course, like all the other sheeple. Sure, you may lose a few precious hours circling the parking lot, then fist-fighting fellow shoppers for a cart, only to finally get inside and discover that the entire warehouse is sold out of everything aside from XXL shirts and James Patterson novels. You'll almost certainly catch some kind of disease while you're there amidst the crowd. However, you'll more than make up for time lost in calories gained through the free samples.” OP: And how many days of supplies do you recommend we should have on hand? HOARD: “Well, medical professionals recommend that individuals who may be infected quarantine themselves for 14 days, so we multiply that by the world population of roughly 7.7 billion, and we get... 107,800,000,000 days, or about 295,000,000 years’ worth of supplies. You know, in case everyone needs to be quarantined.” OP: Wait, I don’t think that’s how time works— HOARD: “Hey, who’s the qualified expert here? Besides, HOARD has been practicing these methods for decades. Our members have survived through innumerable potential apocalypses, including Y2K and 2012. I mean, I haven't seen or heard from most of them since they barricaded themselves underground at the turn of the century, but I’m sure they're doing all right.” The ‘Other Press’ Mascots >» Here are some proposed mascots for our local college’s paper Craig Allen Staff Writer he Other Press (OP) has been around for almost 45 years, yet it has never had a mascot. If Douglas College can introduce a crest, then the OP can introduce a mascot. Climbus the Flight of Stairs Climbus is three steps with anamorphic legs and arms—plus a big smile. He represents the arduous climb that all Douglas students need to make to get to class at either campus. Always out of breath, this mascot could always use a good place to sit down. Unfortunately, when you are the stairs, there aren't too many places. Tom the Unlucky Donut Somewhat fresh from the cafeteria comes Tom the Unlucky Donut. Tom represents all the food from the cafeteria. He looks just like a Tim Horton’s donut, but tastes like a subpar knock off. He also has some other friends like Osloo the Triple O burger, and Pizzi the Pizza Pizza slice. They all join together under the banner of “good enough!” Dormer the Window Ghost This is not really a mascot, but a cruel joke. For you see this mascot only lives in legend. It is rumoured that somewhere on the Douglas College New Westminster campus lies a secret classroom one can't enter—yet the windows look to the outside! Many know that there are windows at the New West campus. They can see them from the outside. Yet no one has ever been ina classroom with windows. Dormer will haunt you. You'll enter a classroom with a window and think you are seeing the outside, only to realize that it is looking out onto the atrium. The promise of natural light is dashed by the Dormer mirage. The Devil No spin here—just the Devil. With the humour // no. 17 e An interview with an expert on stockpiling supplies during virus outbreaks © The ‘Other Press’ Mascots ..and that's everything! OP: Well, that’s all the questions we have today. Thank you for your thoughtful answers. HOARD: “Hey, thanks for taking the time to speak to me. Here’s a greeting card to express my gratitude!” Illustration by Brittney MacDonald OP’s office being located so deep in the bowels of the school, who wouldn't be surprised to find out that Beelzebub himself is the mascot? If we make a bad pitch, he'll get us with his pitchfork. He is not a fun mascot. Question-y the Question Mark Everybody already seems to know his famous catch-phrase—“wait, who?”