For years, I’ve been reading about the silent battle that tech giants have been fighting with the government. In a more recent circumstance, Congress has been trying to top itself in its tech illiteracy by coming up with a bill against net neutrality, which would have given Internet Service Providers the ability to charge media companies to access an exclusive “speed lane” at a more expensive fee.
It absolutely baffles me that some politicians have the tendency to disregard political and moral policies when it comes to the digital world. The very act of imposing these seemingly totalitarian ideas on subject these politicians know nothing about is ridiculous.
This time, the controversy is regarding encryption and privacy—specifically, when it is plausible for a tech company to decrypt a user’s personal device under warrants. The FBI recovered an iPhone 5C that belonged to one of the San Bernadino shooters, however the phone is protected by a passcode. The FBI has been trying to access the iPhone, but failed attempts will result in a longer delay each time and the possibility of wiping all the potentially valuable data. A federal judge has ruled that Apple must create a special iOS firmware that will allow unlimited attempts without a timed punishment, and disable the possibility of wiping data. However, doing so undermines everything that Apple stands for in addition to the extensive progress they have made in creating one of the most popular and secure operating systems.
This is not the first instance that Apple has been public about stressing the importance of their customer’s privacy; in 2014, CEO Tim Cook had already released a public letter stating, “We have never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor in any of our products or services. And we never will.” To understand this premise, it must be realized that this “backdoor” does not exist. If a backdoor is created, then there will always be a way for hackers to get in. Creating the backdoor will set forth unknown repercussions in the future, and Tim Cook is trying to prevent just that. The FBI wants an “unprecedented use of the All Writs Act of 1789,” a vaguely and conveniently written law, to justify this demand. If Apple succumbs to the FBI’s demands, then this will be a major issue for future court cases, because this issue may set a legal precedent.
Those opposed to Apple’s decision believe that it is necessary for the safety of the American people to unlock this device. However, many tech CEOs such as Google CEO Sundar Pichai have chimed in, agreeing with Apple’s decision: “Forcing companies to enable hacking could compromise users’s privacy.”
It is imperative that the government and the tech industry work together, but the insight and opinions of one of the largest tech companies in the world should be respected and compromises should not be made if the privacy of their customers is at stake.
Category: Opinion
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Apple’s Privacy Controversy
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Beyoncé Publicizes Black Lives Matter Movement
Beyoncé aka Queen B created a song called “Formation,” which shows what the true meaning of Black Lives Matter. The main focal point of the music video was the showcase of individuals who were murder by the hands police and oppressors. The video portrayed the African slaves and individuals such as Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, and Emmett Till.
The Black Lives Matter movement and a pro-Beyoncé organization contributed a lot in the video. While there is a pro-Beyoncé movement, others formed an anti-Beyoncé protest against Beyoncé’s video, saying it was “too black.” This group of ignorant people created a parody of the music video and labeled it “The Day Beyoncé Turned Black.”
A lot of the white fan-base of Beyoncé is “hurt and angry” about “Formation.” In their eyes, Beyoncé is not African-American and that she is a disgrace to them.
Why is there so much hatred about Beyoncé’s pro-black statement? One reason is the attire of Beyoncé and her back-up dancers, who dressed in clothes reminiscent of the Black Panther movement. The Black Panthers was a 196o’s black activist self-defense organization, which pushed and encouraged young individuals to take up arms and be more educated about the Constitution. These people took the Constitution’s first and second amendments to heart. Beyoncé wanted to create her attire to symbolize what the panthers stood for. She showed people at during the Super Bowl halftime show and celebrated the fifty-year anniversary of the Black Panthers.
The former Mayor of New York was equally hurt and frustrated with the demonstration of the police being displaced in the music video. He said, “I don’t want the police force being [an] enemy towards the people, what she does is utterly degrading.” With this defense caused an anti-police sentiment. A former Beyoncé fan name April Bedunan was a part of the anti-Beyoncé protest and strongly persecuted and backlashed Beyoncé. She quoted with, “If white people wore KKK outfits, everyone would go crazy.” In my opinion, the KKK costumes were replaced with police uniforms and suits. The people don’t realize it because of the denial and ignorance that cloud their minds. Beyoncé is only showing people around the world that she is black and proud. She wants people to wake up from their denial of reality. A lot of individuals of color have lost their lives for America to be a better nation to live in for generations unborn. Their lives should be left in peace rather than in vain.
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America, Give Iowa a Try
With the presidential election moving ahead, with President Barack Obama finishing his second term, and with others just itching to become the new president of the United States, the Iowa caucuses took place on February 10 for the candidates to compete for the most votes.
In the Republican Party, Ted Cruz won with 27.6% of the vote, beating second-place candidate Donald Trump, who gained 24.3% of the vote. Hillary Clinton took first in the Democratic Party with 49.9%, 0.3% lead over second-place candidate Bernie Sanders, who took 49.6% of the vote.
Unfortunately, there is some debate over whether the primaries for the party nominations should start in such an unrepresentative state. According to a 2014 survey by the US Census Bureau, 92.1% of the state of Iowa is white. African-Americans, Hispanics, Latinos and other racial minorities do not make up a large portion of the Iowa population. The Iowa caucuses have been criticized as “overwhelmingly white.” What makes the 2016 presidential election so interesting is that some candidates are Jewish [Bernie Sanders (D-VT)] or of African-American [Ben Carson (R)] or Cuban [Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Marco Rubio (R-FL)] descent. Some say that Americans are more open to having a Catholic, female, black, Hispanic, or Jewish president.
The Iowa caucuses are problematic for future primaries. Because it is the first state to vote in the presidential primaries, Iowa sets the tone for the future primaries and can even sway voter decisions in other states’ primaries. Iowa contains few major cities and hardly any people of color. New Hampshire is in a similar boat as Iowa, being the second state to hold its primary. Iowa and New Hampshire have large white populations, 92.1% in Iowa and 94.2% in New Hampshire. African-Americans make up only 3.3% and Latinos 5.6% in Iowa; New Hampshire is 1.5% African-American and 5.6% Latino. The United States collectively is 77.7% white, 13.2% black, and 17.1% Latino.
Over fifty years ago, African-Americans campaigned and fought for the right to vote; now we have that vote. However, when presidential elections start with a deeply unrepresentative primary, we need to reassess whether this is truly equal. I believe it would be much better to have the Nevada caucus spearhead the primaries because it has a more diverse population. Nevada’s population is 51.5% white, 9.2% black, and 27.8% Latino, a much more representative racial breakdown than Iowa’s. This would not be a huge change either; Nevada is the third state the hold its primary (Tuesday, February 9 for the Democratic National Party and February 23 for the GOP). All we need to do is move the caucus up three weeks and let a more diverse state set the tone for the presidential election. -
Whites, Camera, Action!
There has been talk recently concerning the diversity, or the lack thereof, in the nominations for the 88th annual Academy Awards. This is the second consecutive year in which the lack of diversity—and African Americans, to be specific—has been a concern of the public. What’s the deal?
Last year, it was more reasonable as to why there were not that many African Americans, to be more specific, nominated. The only big movie with an African-American leading actor or an African cast and director was Selma, a movie depicting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his struggle for civil rights. It is a struggle that we seem to still be going through today. This year, on the other hand, there does not seem to be a valid excuse as to why there are not any minority nominations. There has been an extensive list of exceptional movies with African American lead roles that came out in 2015.
The 2015 dramatic sports film Creed was written and directed by Ryan Coogler, who just happens to be black, and starred Adonis Johnson, another black man. But alas, despite raving reviews from TIME, Rolling Stone, and other publications, the only one to get nominated from this film was a white man.
Director, F. Gray Gray, an African American man, had a booming, charismatic cast of young, new faces, who were all-black in the hit blockbuster Straight Outta Compton. This edgy, heartfelt movie told one of the least known but most intriguing rags-to-riches stories of all time. It truly made you want to laugh, cry, and straight up made you wanna yell “F**k the Police!” It reminded this generation’s group of African-Americans what we can do with the power of music. Ironically, the Academy did not seem to think so because the only ones to get nominated from Compton were the white writers. I mean kudos to them—they helped make an amazing film— but really Academy? Really? You completely overlook the almost all-black cast and black director? This is a movie that not only showed the public the emotional, tortured side of some of the toughest rappers, but also incorporated racial controversies that still exists, and are a problem to this day. No offense to Leonardo DiCaprio and the writers and directors of The Revenant but I am not so sure that a movie about mountain men and DiCaprio trudging through mud is Oscar-worthy.
Both Creed and Straight Outta Compton were just a punch in the face. They gave you a look into crude reality, but they also made you want to hug someone. That is not easy to find. Although there are not many films with a predominately minority cast, they were not hidden from the Academy’s view. Maybe the Academy voters just thought, “We get it; it’s hard being a minority, now stop complaining,” but what they do not understand is that these are the movies that keep us going. They remind minority groups what they/we have been through and that it does not matter if we are Anglo-Saxons. You just got to have dedication and heart. If the Academy, and all of the media industry, chooses to keep Hollywood white, we will just keep making movies that tell us where we come from, and what we have been through. -
Zoe’s Recent Rants
Shootings
On November 27, three people were killed and nine others wounded at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs. On the same day, two were killed and two wounded at a restaurant in Sacramento, CA. On December 2, a married couple killed 14 and wounded 22 at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, CA. On the same day, one person was killed and three wounded in a shooting in Savannah, GA. Half of these were not even given attention in the news, which raises the question, Are we becoming numb to these shootings?
Unless a shooting brings the death of a significant number of people, the media no longer cares, and shockingly, neither do the civilians of the United States. The US cannot become a country that sees shootings on the news as regularly as does a country in the midst of a civil war. But when there have been more mass shootings than calendar days in the year thus far, it is hard not to believe that is the path we are headed down.
When the British Broadcasting Channel (BBC) covered the San Bernardino shooting, reporter James Cook opened the newscast with the line, “Just another day in the United States.” The rest of the world can see it, so why can’t we? The citizens of the United States cannot become used to seeing shootings on the news every night; instead, they need to begin campaigning for gun restrictions to bring an end to this violence.
El Salvador’s Abortion Policy
Prior to 1998, there were three reasons Salvadorian women could legally abort a fetus: her life was endangered, the pregnancy was a product of rape, or a severe congenital disorder was detected in the fetus. However, since the Penal Code was passed in 1998, no woman, under any circumstances, can legally have an abortion.
This has led to serious consequences. Many women are now forced to use dangerous methods including inserting metal rods to penetrate the uterus and using catheters to inject soapy water or battery acid, and often to perform these sketchy operations in their own homes.
These techniques are often fatal or otherwise permanently injure the woman. And in situations when girls as young as ten are raped, they are now left with the decision to either have their child—which, when the mother is so young, frequently leads to death of the mother and/or the child—or attempt aborting her fetus.
Another result of this law is that women who have miscarriages or stillbirths are being arrested for abortion when they did not abort their children. Punishing women for complications in their wanted births is adding salt to the wound, and is absolutely wrong.
Even if you are pro-life, these stringent anti-abortion laws are anything but that. They put the lives of hundreds of women at stake and arrest women for miscarrying their child.
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Once Upon A Hallmark Christmas
Fate is real. The rich are evil. New York City is the only large city in existence. There is no excuse to hate the holidays. It is wrong to want a good career. Living in a small town is the only way to be happy. Research shows that 50% of the time, engaged women are more likely to meet their true soulmates because their fiancés were actually jerks anyway. Christmas is not about presents, it is about showing your love of family and friends. If a woman is fired from her job or does not get the promotion she wanted, then she will most likely be married within six months. In order to be a complex character, a close relative to you must have died. Congratulations! You just made it through every Hallmark Christmas movie plot in existence!
I admit that I do like some of these movies (watch Once Upon a Holiday), but I also have to say that most of them make me want to vomit because of the culmination of bad writing, predictable plotlines, and sickeningly sweet dialogue. While researching for this article, I watched ten Hallmark Channel original movies. I also smashed the television with a baseball bat, or at least I wanted to.
I understand that nobody expects these movies to be nominated for Oscars and that any romantic movie will always have a certain level of cliché in it, but I also know Hallmark can do better. They can create characters that are complex because of their thoughts and interests, not because of the death of a family member or a bad breakup 15 years ago. Also, since none of the movies set in New York have anything to do with the actual city–no ice skating at Rockefeller Center or long walks through Central Park–they could change it up and make a movie set in Cleveland or tell the story of two college kids falling in love at Purdue University. Perhaps Hallmark could make the male lead the one who is desperate to find a partner. The writers can come up with pivotal dramatic scenes that are not caused by a misunderstanding.
Luckily, it seems like the 2015 movies are not as sexist as the older movies. The plotlines of the old movies usually go like this: a thirty year old woman living in NYC is dumped by her jerk boyfriend, is passed up for promotion by a different jerk guy, gets stranded in a small town, falls in love with a kind man from said small town, realizes that she shouldn’t have a career or live in a big city, and then the two leads kiss and the movie ends with no real answer as to where they are going to live. The 2015 movies I watched were basically the same except the couple moved to where the girl was promoted and ended with a wedding montage. Hopefully this means progress, but I sincerely doubt it.
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Is Marching Band A Sport?
- Yes, Marching Band Belongs on the Field
According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a sport is “a physical activity (such as hunting, fishing, running, swimming, etc.) that is done for enjoyment.” By that definition, marching band is as much a sport as football.
Many people view marching band as the activity done by musicians who aren’t physically fit enough to play soccer, baseball, or run cross-country. Although that is often true, marching band is in fact a physically trying activity.
Two weeks before the school year even starts, the marching band is at school rehearsing for six hours each day learning drill, memorizing music, and practicing technique.
Marching band is a complex sport that involves breaking down music into pieces and arranging it to constantly changing formations. Coupled with some heavy instruments such as the tenor saxophone, baritone, and sousaphone, marching band is serious physical activity. If you believe marching band isn’t difficult enough to be a sport, you are very wrong.
People will often argue that since marching band is not competitive, it can’t possibly be a sport, but, although this may be surprising, marching band is a competitive sport. The Long Beach Poly Marching Unit participated in four competitions within their league, and placed eighth within its division (4A) of the Southern California Judging Association (SCJA).
Some people contend that marching band is not a sport, but instead is an athletic event, which, when thought about, is a rather circular argument. Sports are events where athletes compete, and an athletic event is an event where athletes compete. So, arguing a difference is illogical.
Marching band requires skill and a certain level of physical fitness in order to succeed, just like any other sport. It has rules and regulations that have to be followed and traditions that are faithfully practiced by members. Although marching band obviously doesn’t have the physical contact aspect like soccer, hockey, and football, it does call for the same dedication and practice.
Marching band in many respects is more labor intensive than some sports that are regularly covered on the sports page of the High Life, such as golf. Members of marching band receive physical education credits like other sports, so there is no good reason marching band shouldn’t be labeled a sport.
No, They Should Stay in the Stands
Marching band is a classic icon at high schools, playing pieces during Friday-night football games and competing in weekend band tournaments. They provide an important vibe to the high school atmosphere. There are many people who voice opinions stating that marching band should be considered a sport. I, however, disagree and think marching band does not constitute a sport.
My criteria for a sport is a competition focused on athletic ability that has impartial scoring to determine a winner. This rules out activities such as math team or competitive fishing.
Marching band’s main focus is playing instruments together, and is an act of showmanship. For sports, the main focus is to compete against others and be the best. Marching band’s focus is to support the football team, provide encouragement for the crowd at games, and represent the school at public events like parades.
There are a number of activities that require physical strength to participate in, but not all these are considered sports.
There are a number of activities that require coordination and hand-eye coordination to excel at such as brain surgery and cutting vegetables, and, incidentally, marching while playing an instrument.
I am not denying the hard work required to be in a marching band. Marching bands practice for more hours than some sports and is very demanding, but it is a performing art, not a sport.
Marching band has competitions and involves scoring and beating other teams. However, this alone does not constitute it as a sport. Spelling bees are scored competitions with winners, but are not a sport.
There is a difference between sports and athletic events. I am not denying that some athletic competitions require more physical strength than sports, such as gymnastics and cheerleading, but they still do not constitute as sports. Marching band has judges who critique technique and musicality, but who do not enforce rules. This is similar to other music competitions where judges base the winner on who they like better, rather than simply who does the best.
Marching band is not a sport. This does not detract from the intense physical components of being in the marching band, but it simply does not count as a sport.
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SalesGiving
Thanksgiving is supposed to be all about food, family, and gratitude. These days it seems like it is about scoping out Black Friday sales and camping out in front of Best Buy.
In the past few years it seems like companies have taken Black Friday sales to the extreme with most stores opening their doors for sale at 6 P.M. on Thanksgiving Day. I may be a traditionalist, but isn’t the point of a Black Friday sale that it takes place on Black Friday? In recent years, companies have started creeping back the hours; first moving to 4 A.M., then midnight, then they gave up all pretenses and opened at 8 P.M. Thanksgiving Day. However, it seems like they have gone as far as they can go because last year they started opening at 6 P.M. and this year will probably be the same.
Along with the encroaching Black Friday sales is the new practice of skipping over Thanksgiving entirely. Most stores do not even bother to wait until after Halloween to put out the Christmas decorations. I do not know many small children, but I imagine that, especially in Southern California where the leaves only change color from lack of water, the dearth of fall decorations might confuse them. In the monochromatic area of Southern California, the only semblance of fall we had were the Pumpkin Spice Lattes and fake leaf decorations.
I find it equally depressing that the holiday we decide to forget is the holiday made to celebrate thankfulness and family and instead we focus on holidays where we beg strangers for candy or we receive presents from family. Then on Thanksgiving, when we are finally forced to accept the holiday, we spend the day camping out in the cold so we can buy things at low prices.
Feel free to stand in line for stores decorated in tinsel, but at the very least remember that Thanksgiving is supposed to be about turkey, pumpkin pie, and celebrating our good fortune. -
Missouri’s Misery
I have read endless articles about the daily injustices black communities face. All fill me with a pang of sadness, but more importantly, a desire for empathy and change.
The recent events at the University of Missouri (“Mizzou”) complete yet another chapter in the American black narrative, one marked by unimaginable suffering.
It is sickening to know that people’s demands for safety are addressed only by putting said safety at stake through protests and hunger strikes that often turn sour. We believe that the administrations at our schools have our best interests at heart, but for many, that is not the case.
The now ex-President of Mizzou, Tim Wolfe, did not act on the requests and pleas of his students, all of whom had legitimate grievances. Students complained about feeling unsafe on campus and alienated by the school’s racially disproportional makeup.
Several black students protested about their unmet needs in the homecoming parade. They halted Wolfe’s vehicle temporarily, but that is the furthest extent of their success.
His apathy is a reflection of how a majority of Americans feel about racism. This lack of understanding and its ramifications disgusts me.
At the same time, I harbor immense guilt for the prejudices I carry. I am an extension of the collective racist pysche that continues to define American society.
To be black means to live in a world where you are barred and prevented from living normally. This is the current state we find ourselves in fifty-one years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Such is the situation that black students tried to alter at Mizzou.
To some degree, they were successful. The university’s president and chancellor soon left their posts amid boycotts by the football team and certain professors.
Sadly, once-explicit forms of racism have transmuted into implicit (and often subconscious) means of discrimination, all of which function through continued insularity.
Even if a safe space is created for black students, the opposition’s views are not eliminated. Prejudice is rooted so deeply into our minds that we are often incapable of recognizing them.
To this day, I still discover how my biases manifest themselves in small actions and thoughts. By writing this piece, I do not feel absolved of any guilt or shame. Rather, I feel a stronger sense to confront my judgments and do my part in this fight for equality.
I stand with the students of Mizzou and all others who face discrimination. Granted, I can’t do much, but in working towards gaining a better understanding, my desire for change burns even more feverishly. -
Pray For Humanity
In case you have had your head in the sand for the last week, Paris was stricken by a horrific series of terrorist attacks on Friday, November 13. The attacks, claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), took a total of 129 lives, including Cal State Long Beach student Nohemi “Mimi” Gonzalez, who was spending a semester abroad at the Strate College of Design.
Six locations in Paris were targeted by the terrorists, including the Bataclan concert hall where the California rock band Eagles of Death Metal were performing, the Stade de France where France and Germany were having a friendly soccer match, and several restaurants where gunmen unloaded round after round upon innocent patrons.
As a response to the attacks, Paris officials raided an apartment Wednesday, November 8, where suspects were believed to be staying, leading to two deaths and eight arrests.
The day after the attacks, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi sent the western world a terrifying message: “Let France—and those who walk in its path—know that they will remain on the top of the list of targets of the Islamic State.” He has warned that these attacks are “the first in a storm.”
These threats, whether empty or not, are terrifying, and will inevitably lead to an intensification of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment, as well as an increased international fear of the Syrian refugees.
The sick irony in hiding behind media-influenced fear of Muslims is perfectly explained by Reading Football Club player Dan Holloway, who tweeted, “To people blaming refugees for attacks in Paris tonight: Do you not realise [sic] these are the people the refugees are trying to run away from…?”
People who instinctually generalize the entire Muslim population of the Middle East as Islamic extremists need to take a step back and realize that these ISIS militants are a miniscule minority; only 0.01% of Muslims in Europe have gone to fight with ISIS.
Responses by countries across the globe are admirable, including Barack Obama’s speech stating that the crisis in France was an attack not just on the French people, but on all of humanity.
However, despite the social media outbursts of #PrayForParis and large public awareness of the attacks, it seems that terrorist attacks in third world countries will continue to go unnoticed.
On Thursday, November 12, the day before the Paris attacks, the streets of Beirut, Lebanon, were struck with a double suicide bombing killing 43 and wounding 200 others. It was the worst outbreak of violence since the end of Lebanon’s civil war in 1990. The country is devastated, not just by the deaths of its people, but also by the rest of the world’s ignorance.
Because Lebanon neighbors Syria, the world tends to ignore its crises, assuming constant chaos in Lebanon merely because of its geographic location.
I am not suggesting that the horrors of Paris are unimportant, or do not deserve sympathy and support. I am proud to see all my friends add the Paris Flag Filter to their Facebook profile photo. I just want us all to realize that the Western World is not the only place affected by terrorism; other countries suffer similar attacks on humanity that are ignored by the majority of the world. Eighty percent of all deaths caused by terrorists take place in only five countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Syria.
Tens of thousands of people die this way each year. That is unacceptable; the world has to unite if we wish to fight against the killing of civilians all over the globe. -
IDs? ID Even Necessary?
It’s 7:27 A.M., I had three hours of sleep, and I’ve faced my inevitable fate that I am about to fail my Calculus quiz. I make my way from the parking lot to the Jackrabbit/Atlantic gate, dragging my feet, half asleep, trying to ignore how happy the kid in front of me sounds. I get to the gate and damn – my ID. I left it somewhere in the depths of the mess that is the backseat of my car. I whip out my sophomore-year ID (that somehow I have managed not to lose) from my backpack’s front pocket and wave it to the person who believes that he is the all-mighty guardian of the wonderful kingdom that is Poly. It has worked before; it is the way I have entered this palace since the beginning of the school year. However, this time it did not go over so well. I was stopped in my tracks and my ID was confiscated and ripped from my too-tired-to-function hands. (I was actually emotionally attached to that ID and am upset that it was forcibly taken.)
After I was denied entrance into the holy land by the high and mighty ID Police, I was directed to get a temporary ID at the main gate. I did not argue the fact that I pass through that gate every single day, or complain that the girl before me passed through the gate without showing her ID because the guard knew her. Instead, I turned around and walked onto Jackrabbit Lane towards the main entrance only to be greeted by a long line of ID-less criminals waiting to be granted permission into the academic Promised Land. I stood in the line for a split second, but chose to try my luck at the other gate. I was expecting that gate to be guarded, too, given that the first guy was stricter than Donald Trump at the Mexican-American border. But to my (not so much) surprise, it was not. I was actually more upset than relieved that it was not guarded because I was turned around at the first gate for not having my ID and was then expected to wait in a line to be given a temporary ID by a person who seems to hate this newly-enforced rule as much as students do.
If students are expected to respect this rule, I suggest Poly does not enforce it merely half way. These temporary IDs are a waste of time and money. If the administration is actually worried with campus security, I expect them to have the gates guarded at all times that they are open, including during zero period and after school. Additionally, if you want me to willingly dig into my backpack to show you my ID, ask everyone for their IDs. The only injustice I hate more than partially enforcing rules is exceptions to the rules. So I argue that these ID checks at the gates are not only unnecessary but absurd and it makes students want to enter school even less than they already do. I once saw a kid leave campus because he was denied entry without his ID and apparently had one too many warnings. So please do not make it harder than it already is for students to go to school. It is seven in the morning, so cut us some slack. -
The National Holidays Epidemic
Leave Zucchini on Your Neighbor’s Porch Day is celebrated August 8. Take Your Plants for a Walk Day is on July 27. Answer Cats’s Questions Day falls on January 22. We are currently in an epidemic of random and unnecessary holidays. The good news is that civilization will most likely survive. However, society is a different matter.
Surprisingly, these holidays have been around for longer than we may think. Most of them were started by a corporation as a marketing scheme or an excuse to celebrate their hard work. The National Watermelon Association started National Watermelon Day so long ago that none of the employees know the exact year of its conception.
While the tactic behind some holidays is very obvious, such as Hostess Twinkie Day, others are not as straightforward, like Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day. Along with marketing, there are also some inspirational days such as Use Your Common Sense Day, Read a Book Day, and Good Neighbor Day, which I deem more useful and needed than Brandied Fruit Day.
The most common place to see these holidays is, of course, on social media. Many people use these random days and pop-up hashtags as an excuse to post pictures of them and their cat, them eating a taco, or them wearing lipstick. These people could not possibly post a picture of them and an octopus on the day they went to the aquarium- that would be weird and uncalled for. Instead, they keep the picture and wait until an occasion calls for the post and eventually Octopus Day comes around and gives them the excuse.
These people fail to realize that once Octopus Day comes around, everyone is tired of seeing octopi. Last week was National Cat Day and my feed was infected with pictures of the little devils. Posting about what you want when you want is far better than waiting until everyone and their grandmas post the same thing.
I admit some of these holidays are a brilliant marketing strategy and I commend the person who originally thought of the idea. However, these “holidays” subtract from the real holidays that have actual purpose and history such as Rosh Hashanah, Ramadan, and Easter. The main thing that pop-up holidays celebrate is American consumerism.
One part of me loves our ability to celebrate the random things and congratulates everyone’s passion for these unnecessary celebrations, and I realize that the worst these holidays do is endorse the takeover of social media. However, the other part of me shudders that some person in our society actually celebrates Underwear Day.