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editorial
a. Osgoode Hall Law School, 0014G
York University
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, ON M3J 1P3
e. [email protected]
web. www.obiter-dicta.ca
T. @obiterdictaoz
“It takes four years to get there? It had better be one
hell of a Bar.”
- a t-shirt my aunt gave me
Editors-in-Chief: Cass Da Re, Travis Weagant,
Karolina Wisniewski
Business Managers: Adam Cepler, Alvin Qian
Copy Editor: Patricia Wood
News Editor: Citlally Maciel
Arts & Culture Editor: Angie Sheep
Sports Editor: Andrew Cyr
Staff Writers: Michael Capitano, Luke Johnston, Evan Ivkovic, Sam Michaels, Dan MowatRose, Daniel Styler
Contributors: Sean Aherne-Biesbroek, Krum
Dochev, Jeffrey Hernaez, David Lepofsky
Layout Editors: Marie Park, Heather Pringle,
Devin Santos, Wendy Sun
Website Editor: Asad Akhtar
Submissions for the January 20 issue are due at
5PM on January 12, and should be submitted to
the email address above.
Obiter Dicta is the official student newspaper of
Osgoode Hall Law School. The opinions expressed in
the articles contained herein are not necessarily those
of the Obiter staff. The Obiter reserves the right to
refuse any submission that is judged to be libelous or
defamatory, contains personal attacks, or is discriminatory on the basis of sex, race, religion, or sexual orientation. Submissions may be edited for length and/
or content.
The Obiter Dicta is published biweekly during the
school year, and is printed by Weller Publishing Co.
Ltd.
The Obiter Dicta is a member of Canadian
University Press.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Obiter Dicta staff: turning introspection into cheer
IT MIGHT J UST BE an aftereffect of Icepocalypse 2013, those harrowing days during which we watched
friends study for their last exams by
candlelight and spent our own time
thinking. Not obsessing-over-whetherwe-analyzed-the-fact-pattern- on- ourAdmin-Law-exam-correctly thinking,
but like, being-alone-with-your-existent ia l-t houghts -w it hout-t he - usua li Ph o n e - a n d - M a c B o o k - d i s t r a c t i o n s
kind of thinking. The kind of thinking
that is much more dangerous; the kind
of thinking law students shouldn’t be
allowed to do very much of.
Yes. We’ll chalk it up to that: to an
end of term break that began in a rather
morose and uncomfortable way, to a
year that decided to give us a memorable, though not necessarily enjoyable,
send off. Perhaps that’s why we seem
to be heading into 2014 a little more
nostalgically than before, and a little
more cautious of what lies ahead. A
possible Rob Ford reelection? A Winter
Olympics plagued by terrorist threats,
appallingly backward-looking domestic
policies and awkward (though perhaps
necessary) international political shows
of disapproval? These are just some
of the things about 2014 that make us
uneasy, in addition of course, to advancing our legal careers by another year,
which though undoubtedly exciting, is
vaguely (or perhaps blatantly) daunting,
wherever on the law school trajectory
you are.
We call it nostalgia, but perhaps a
more accurate name for our trepi dation is plain old pessimism. Maybe we
should stop romanticizing it and partake in some of the 1L optimism Sam
Michaels expounds in his thoughtprovoking piece this week. Maybe we
should, as he does, turn our attention
to the world’s persistent (thought not
always unencumbered) march toward
democracy and improved standards of
living, and take stock of over-arching
indicators of progress. One especially
encouraging sign of such progress
is the much lauded Bedford decision.
We’ll save close analysis of it for Sean
Aherne-Biesbroek ’s excellent piece on
the subject, but suff ice it to say, this
landmark decision should be rightly
viewed as an encouraging and much-
needed step forward in women’s rights.
Perhaps we should subscribe to some
of the self-actualized optimism suggested by Angie Sheep, urging us to
take charge and adopt a healthier lifestyle this year. Indeed, no matter how
many different people (be they purveyors of some revolutionary weight-loss
shtick on the shopping channel, or our
annoyingly in-shape friend who obviously isn’t in law school) alert us to the
epiphany that being healthy is not only
manageable but can also be totally fun,
we’re sold. Kudos to you Angie, now
please excuse us while we f inish off this
tub of Nutella.
Even Krum Dochev’s article, which
prima facie, seems to lament the sorry
state of the legal profession, ends with
an incredibly empowering and uplifting
message: that our academic and professional careers are only as wonderful or
as awful as we choose to make them.
He closes his piece with a poignant and
astute commentary on how to foster an
environment of support and encouragement, rather than one of competition
and toxicity; on how to held build a
profession which not only leaves room
for, but actively facilitates, mental and
emotional well-being. Who else is for
putting up copies of it in the waiting
area at OCIs next year?
But perhaps the most encouraging
and optimism-inducing aspect of this
week ’s paper is the submission from
Osgoode alum David Lepofsky. It’s not
just that we love hearing from Osgoode
alumni, but it’s that given the illustrious and truly impressive career David
has had, he is genuinely thrilled to be
back at his alma mater. It is a sentiment worth remembering, especially in
the dark hours of exam season, that not
only do people make it out alive, but
that some of them recall their days in
law school fondly and warmly.
There you have it: as dispirited as
your EICs are, it seems as if the Obiter
staff and contributors drown-out our
despondency with their buoyancy, cheer
and energy. Thank goodness for them.
Welcome back and bah humbug.
The Obiter Dicta