Issue 14, Volume 17
ANONYMOUS This article is a response to a piece entitled “On Violence,” which appeared in Issue 14, Volume 17 of De Minimis. The author of that piece warned against the use of violence as a form of protest; they express concern that people who see violence as a legitimate form of process “celebrate the destruction and damage visited on communities and norms of social cohesion.” This is not the case. Issue 14, Volume 17
REGGIE BANKS I try to be wary of using overly dramatic language when discussing complex issues, although like anybody else I am frequently imperfect. Whilst strong rhetoric has a vital place in political advocacy and building responses to injustice, I worry that otherwise well-intentioned people run the risk of distilling questions of how to solve difficult problems into unhelpfully sensationalised and divisive camps. Sometimes however, events simply demand to be talked about in such a way and scrolling through my newsfeed today I came across an aphorism so appropriate that it had to be shared. This week the world watched America burn. ‘This just doesn’t happen here’: Remembering Cameron Doomadgee and the Palm Island Protests4/6/2020
Issue 14, Volume 17
WOLFGANG HENDRICKS As we watch Minnesota burn following the death of George Floyd, from afar, it may be easy to incredulously dismiss these events as those that could only occur in lawless America with their guns, MAGA hats, and shocking welfare system. But with over four hundred First Nation people’s deaths in custody, and a hugely disproportionate Indigenous incarceration rate, it is time Australia took a good look at itself. The custody death of Cameron Doomadgee in Queensland 16 years ago prompted racially-fuelled unrest of our own, but very little has come of it since. The current protests across the States must serve as an essential prompt for us to examine our own track record. Issue 13, Volume 17
MAX FERGUSON All three seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender are currently out on Netflix. Being the well-informed chap that I am, I also happen to know that there is a live-action remake in the works. So, being isolated and all, the time seemed right to finally see what all the fuss was about. My friends have, for years, implored me to watch the original Avatar. I’d blow them off with the old ‘it’s on the list’. Of course, there is no list, and if anyone ever says that to you, you have a moral obligation to call out their flagrant lies. Issue 12, Volume 17
ANONYMOUS From pulp, to dust! With tears we must Condemn our trusty pens to rust. Old faithfuls down their quills and flee, On ballpoint steeds retreating. Issue 11, Volume 17
EMILY SANDRUSSI When I was three years old my mother purchased a full set of the Encyclopaedia Britannica for me. They are beautiful and fearsome books – heavy, bound in black leather, pages gilded with gold, with a dedication on the first leaf that reads ‘to my darling daughter’. Our family purchased a computer before the books could become useful, so for the majority of my life the extent of my relationship with the encyclopaedia was located in the time and physical effort it took to load and unload them into boxes each time my family moved (a frequent event). Issue 11, Volume 17
ANONYMOUS visceral A law of the earth, and so that he was heard This life and strength and sorrow, the soul. The league of sorrow, the angel of the morning sun Our blistered feet stand, and the fall streams Harmonious and strange, we judge not but our own Your justice in the rain is formed We dance and the deepest waters trickle This law of the long light of sky is strewn. Issue 11, Volume 17
HANNAH ORLOFF Headlines, facts, alternative ‘facts’ and opinions burn our eyeballs and worm into our ear canals from the moment we wake up until our last conscious moments each day. That we are living in the ‘Information Age’ is a hackneyed and obvious expression – yet it has important implications for student journalism. In this country, we can learn about virtually any topic through our search engine of choice, on social media, in podcasts and so on. When it comes to our campus magazines, papers and journals, we want localised, relevant and humanised content. It would be concerning if people were looking to De Minimis for comprehensive and perfectly accurate articles on China’s barely trade war with Australia, or some newborn celebrity name (can someone confirm that pronunciation?). We can get that from (hopefully) more credible and articulate sources. Issue 11, Volume 17
JOHN SATURA The year was 2030. Jared panicked as he reached up to pat his bean, his eyes darting left and right at the sea of wom*n surrounding him, all hairy armpits, FemmeParty-slogans-on-pins and smock dresses. “Oh Christ. Please tell me I didn’t forget my pussy hat!” he thought. Issue 10, Volume 17
ANONYMOUS Guys it’s time for all the bullying and shit stirring to stop. Last night we all saw De Minimis publish another tired attack on the so called snobbish culture of Melbourne Law School and the entirely predictable trash heap that resulted in the comments section. Frankly I’m tired of these constantly negative attacks against my fellow students. Its time we start seriously asking for change. Issue 10, Volume 17
ANONYMOUS Everything I had read about the JD before I began was stuff that I was confident I could handle; high workloads, pressure to succeed, etc. And I could – I am a third year now, my grades are decent, and I landed a couple of clerkships. But the thing that has ruined my enjoyment is not all that. It is not the late nights poring over case law, or the rigorous application processes, but it is the other students here at MLS. Coming to the end of my degree, sadly, I must admit that certain people here are some of the most abhorrent individuals I have ever had the displeasure of knowing. Issue 10, Volume 17
EDGAR BOX In Stambovsky v Ackely, the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court was invited to consider a rather novel justification put forward by a Jeffrey Stambovsky to refuse to complete a transaction to purchase a house. Namely, that at the time of the sale agreement, it had not been disclosed to him by the seller, a Helen Ackely, that the house was haunted. In its judgment, the court held that Mrs. Ackely, who had previously reported the alleged haunting to local newspapers and magazines, was on those grounds estopped from denying the existence of ghosts, commenting: “Whether the source of the spectral apparitions seen by the defendant seller are parapsychic or psychogenic, having reported their presence in both a national publication… and the local press… [the] defendant is estopped to deny their existence and, as a matter of law, the house is haunted.” Issue 10, Volume 17
JAMES SUTHERLAND The coronavirus pandemic has sent shockwaves through just about every aspect of society. It has already resulted in many thousands of deaths worldwide, overwhelmed hospital systems, caused mass unemployment, and is certain to bring an end to Australia’s almost 3 decades of uninterrupted economic growth. In light of such devastation and destruction, each and every one of us as citizens have experienced substantial disruption, and we have adapted our lives accordingly. The Victorian justice system is no exception to this phenomenon Issue 9, Volume 17
Hey everyone, Graduate Students Association elections are happening RIGHT NOW! The GSA represents graduate students across the university, and provides funding to dozens of grad groups, including De Minimis and the LSS. As a law student, you’re entitled to vote for the incoming council, so just look for an email in your student inbox! Don’t forget, as voting closes at 10am, on the 22nd of May. Find out more about the candidates in their brief statements below: Issue 9, Volume 17
JEREMY WAITE Late last year, the University of Melbourne Graduate Student Association (GSA) embarked on a process of constitutional reform. For the unacquainted, the GSA is the peak representative body for graduate students at the University of Melbourne. You may be familiar with some of our long running advocacy campaigns on issues like transport concessions for postgraduate students, WAM adjustments for Semester 1 or stipend extensions for graduate researchers during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Issue 9 Volume 17
RENZO TWEEDIE “I wrote this piece when everything was very uncertain and things I had been taking for granted were no longer accessible. Looking back, it’s strange to remember the mindset I was in. Now, I feel hopeful and determined, it really is amazing to experience our capacity to adjust. If you’re looking for someone to talk to happiness is only a teardrop away (haha love Shrek 2 but seriously my virtual door is always open).” Issue 8, Volume 17
EMILY ZAHRA Story time. We’ve all heard about local myths and legends. Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, drop bears, etc. Most people, the non-believers as we call them, brush away these myths with an indifferent air. “The photo is too grainy”, or “that’s so fake”, or “it’s not physically possible, science says so!” they cry in the face of people who chose to believe. I understand that incredulity, because I used to be one of them. Until, that is, I had my very own supernatural experience. Issue 8, Volume 17
SHANE FULORGEE There was a young man sick of lock down Who had spent the last week in his night gown When there came a nice day The cops took him away For enjoying a long walk through the town. Issue 8, Volume 17
LAUREN TAYLOR This fun quiz will let you know what you and your friends will be up to in a year’s time! Awesome! Tally up your scores as you go, and we’ll let you know what type of lawyer in the line at Centrelink you’ll be! Isuue 8, Volume 17
ŽIPRIŽE BUTŽEKS Look, I don’t mean this as a flex, but a lot of girls are into me. A LOT. And I don’t mean, like, my grandma calls me up daily to ask about my day (which she does). This is a succession of real-live, jaw-dropping, scantily-clad babes taking a direct interest in me. Issue 7, Volume 17
HAMISH DUNDEE No, it isn’t VB, Vegemite, or tying your partner to the bed using venomous snakes – it’s something much more dangerous. In fact, the things that many Australians can be reliably predicted to be interested in aren’t Australian at all: they belong to our Pacific cousin, the United States. Issue 7, Volume 17
GENCO CEYLAN ‘Induce in the inmate a state of conscious and permanent visibility that assures the automatic functioning of power’ (Foucault, Discipline and Punish, 201). You awake without an alarm. The day feels like it’s just begun, but the irrepressible march of time cares not how you feel. You check your phone. A never-ending stream of incomprehensible information about a pandemic. Your mobile phone, which has been a source of comfort for so many years, is again espousing an endless mire of nihilistic news. Issue 7, Volume 17
JAMES COOPER-SMITH For decades, Bernie Sanders has stood at the forefront of the Progressive movement in the United States. The man marched with Martin Luther King Junior, to give you an idea of how long he’s been aboard this boat. Last week, he suspended his campaign for President, effectively ceding the Democratic nomination to Joe Biden. There is no doubt that 2020 was his last hurrah. |
Archives
December 2021
|