Jerry Fan Fan, is in fact, a genius. I do not make this claim lightly. Last night, audience members and press representatives in attendance at the AMS All Candidates debate at Totem Park were treated to, what can only be assumed to be a enormously successful trial run of, Jerry Fan Fan’s comedic stylings. I can admit feeling a little awkward on behalf of Fan Fan when he took to the podium and began to rattle off a prepared speech regaling his 3 years of experience as a commerce student, and his past participation with the UBC senate. It was a slow, crawling awkward feeling that started in the pit of my stomach and worked its way throughout my body. It was much akin to the feeling I’m sure you’ve experienced when watching the Anna Nicole Smith show. You, as the witness to this train wreck she has titled her life, are just so embarrassed to be alive.  Yet she continues on with her wacky antics, ordering a moderate sized pig for lunch, slurring her words, picking fights with Chaka Khan, and she does this in a dreamy cloud of ignorance as though everything is absolutely normal. I was under the impression a similar phenomena was occurring when Jerry Fan Fan’s speech began. “How mortifying,” I thought, “an entire speech prepared and you’ve forgotten to include any content!”. I then immediately considered the numerous ways I could liken this act to zany mistakes that could occur while baking a cake. However my train of thought was interrupted by the Q&A session of the night. Fan Fan made a strong impression in his rebuttal periods, during which he insisted that building new residences was in fact not an appropriate answer to the overwhelming UBC housing problem. He continued by refusing to take any position whatsoever on integration of University Town planning with institutional campus planning. Additionally Fan Fan’s answers were accessorized, if you will, with extensive silences. At this point it became increasingly clear to me that Fan Fan’s showing at this debate was in fact an elaborate ruse, or performance art piece. Perhaps set up for some independent film a la “Borat”. In fact dear reader, I am not entirely sure that Jerry Fan Fan is not Sascha Baron Cohen in disguise, only time will tell. Yes, the AMS debate last night was a comedic installation of epic proportions, and if history does repeat itself we can only predict golden globes in Fan Fan’s future. Either that, or he’s simply running for VP Academic and University Affairs because he Fan Fan Fan, and that’s kind of awkward.

- S