Category: Opinion

  • YOU DON”T OWN ME!

    Everyone is their own person. This is what I have told myself my whole life. No one belongs to anyone. This is what my family has told me. However as I grow up, I am starting to be unsure of what I have been taught. The relationships I have seen throughout my life have been quite interesting, but what has always gotten my attention – not in a good way- are the people who find themselves feeling possessive over someone else.

    I have even found myself in situations where someone calls me their own and it had left me feeling extremely uncomfortable. I don’t like being controlled or told who to give my love and attention to. I also don’t like being guilt tripped into it. Whether it’s friend or partner, if someone makes me choose between two people, I won’t enjoy the pressure and as a result, end up answering insincerely. What I don’t like especially about people who are possessive is that they can sometimes take things too far and turn the relationship they’re in into a toxic one.

    I’m not saying this is indicated  for ALL relationships, but I feel if you want to be in a relationship, you and your partner should know limits. I don’t mean this to come out in any harmful way at all, it is just what I feel.

  • Winter Has Come Again

    Okay so, the final season of Game of Thrones is here! Not really, but it’s coming April 14, so it’s basically here. There are lots of theories about the end: the Night King prevails and everyone dies, Daenerys goes crazy and burns everyone, or Cersei goes crazy and burns everyone – the list goes on.

    I have my own theories on what will occur throughout the season but I have yet to really care about how it might end.

    However, the closer the end comes, the more I start to think about it. So… what I want to happen at the end of Game of Thrones is for winter to consume all of Westeros. To usher in a new Long Night, but I want the Night King to be vanquished, but even though he’s gone, winter still prevails.

    And I want the Iron Throne to be destroyed, no one wins the game, but someone survives to become the “ruler” of Westeros. I also don’t want everyone to die, but maybe just most people. Only a few left to rebuild and usher in the new world. The end is near, winter is here, I just hope I’m not disappointed by the ending.

  • Too Close For Comfort?

    In my opinion friendships only grow when you are close to each other, whether it may be physically or mentally. Society has made closeness an uncomfortable sanctum for friendship.

    In other words, people think that being physically and mentally close to someone means that they are bound to be together romantically, but that’s not necessarily true.

    I personally think that closeness can encompass physical actions towards one another in a friendly passion. For instance, two friends of the opposite sex or same sex can hug or cuddle without having feelings.

    Society has made people subject to thinking that close encounters with other individuals is uncomfortable or unacceptable in public.

    This could be because the media shows closeness only in the form of a relationship. I believe friends have the ability to not have feelings for one another and still be a caring and understanding person towards them. Society should be more open minded and allow closeness in public.

    The amount of people who do not accept closeness between friends in public is extremely high in my opinion. Therefore, the discomfort of society is out of control.

    Students at Poly, such as Marc Hines, a sophomore, said, “Boys sometimes believe that being close to a girl or opposite sex can make it look like [you] are together and that causes many problems.”

    I asked him why he felt as though there were problems created and he could only say that he was afraid of being questioned by his friends. If that is the reason why closeness is not accepted in society, then technically closeness is just seen as different for other people.

  • This Is A School, Not A Trash Can!

    There I am, walking, minding my own business and suddenly I feel the crunch under my feet. I look down and see crushed up goldfish on the ground. My eyes then move to scan the floor around me. Spilled hot chocolate and empty Gatorade bottles everywhere. Someone actually smashed their lunch against the wall. Honestly, what’s the point?

    I hate it when people just throw their trash on the ground when the trash can is literally right there! What kind of disgusting,  good-for-nothing bum can you be?!

    People who throw their trash on the ground, tells me something about them. They obviously have no respect for their school, the earth, and for themselves. Y’all are nasty. Just clean up after yourselves. What do you think the visitors see when they come to our school, the so called Home of Scholars and Champions?  You know what they think? That we’re just a bunch of immature and disrespectful delinquents.

    Don’t you feel bad for the schools janitors or staff who has to clean up after you treacherous children? It has gotten so bad that even Mr. Puth, our School Activities Director, has had to make  public  announcement to everyone  about this trash problem at our school.

    During lunch and nutrition, I see school faculty  and janitors try and clear out the hallways to try and reduce the trash people produce at school. That lasted about a week. A week later, the buildings were bombarded with students (not all) who just through their trash on the ground. It’s not the school’s responsibility to remind students to pick up after themselves.  These kids should know how to do the basics of cleanliness. I wonder, at home, do you throw trash on your ground and expect someone to clean it up? If not, then don’t do it at school.

    Quite honestly, I am appalled and disgusted. This is a public high school, not a public trash can.

  • Outraged By Nazi Imagery

    On the first weekend of March, students from Newport Harbor High School hosted party, in which they played a drinking game otherwise known as “rage cage”.

    In the “game’’, the students didn’t place the cups in the traditional triangle shape, but instead decided to place the cups onto a swastika. And in case you’re thinking, no, not the Buddhist kind.

    We’re talking about the symbol the infamous Nazis used during the horrific events of the holocaust. Not only did they place the cups into a swastika, some of the students even held up the Nazi salute for pictures that went viral on social media.

    Once I heard about what these students did I was disgusted. Especially because the students, along with many other people, were defending these actions.

    They said that it was a “joke” and that it doesn’t necessarily mean that they support Nazis. But honestly should people be joking about an organization that killed millions of people?

    No. Because it’s a sensitive subject that no one should be joking about. And believe me, I love myself some dark humor, but this is just outrageous and disrespectful.

    Many other people are outraged as well and it was even reported that some of the students in the picture were getting threatened at school and although I don’t think that the students deserve to be physically or mentally hurt, they should be accountable for their actions.

  • SLATT+^!

    Playboi Carti is undeniably the best artist at this date and time. Playboi Carti brings out so much energy of any person who listens to his music. Jordan Carter (Playboi Carti) does not  have the best lyricism but when paired with the right elements such as a great producer, like Pierre Borne to make wonderful beats and set up Playboi Carti’s delivery, it becomes a wonderful combo.

    His music is even better live because everyone there in the crowd matches the same energy.

    His music is so good that people hack his laptop to leak his music all time which also contributes to his fame as well because he has a consistent flow of music always coming out. He also has a role in the fashion world such as modeling for Off-White, Alyx Studios, and Dior.

  • Not So Fast R.Kelly!

    In the more recent updates of the captivating R.Kelly news, it seems like Kelly finally got what was coming to him as he turned himself into the Chicago Police Department after being charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. The charges involve four alleged victims with at least three being children older than 13 but younger than 17. The alleged assaults occurred between May 26, 1998 and Jan. 31, 2010. At a press conference held on Friday, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said that aggravated criminal sexual abuse is a class 2 felony. R.Kelly was reported to face up to 70 years in prison.

    Justice couldn’t strike Kelly fast enough as his bail was posted on February 25, 2019 at a whopping $1,000,000. Ironic enough, Kelly was released on bail. Valencia Love, a fan who is an apparent friend of the singer, posted Kelly’s bail and did an exclusive interview with Fox32’s Tia Ewing. Love’s day job is at a Chicago childcare facility and she has said that she does not support pedophilia.

    “Let him have his chance in court to prove if he’s innocent or guilty. As a friend if he says he’s innocent, I can only believe that he is innocent,” said Love.

    Personally, I cannot believe that a woman who works with children can support a person with the history of R.Kelly. Imagine, if that was your daughter in the grasp of R.Kelly’s molestation. What has the world come to?

    In lighter news, R.Kelly was also arrested and brought to court for not paying $161,000 for child support according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office in Chicago. Ha! What a bum. I hope he gets locked up forever.

  • The Best Cartoon Ever.

    Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the greatest cartoons of all time. Avatar has great consistency and strong storytelling. It paints a vivid picture of how a good cartoon should be.

    Most cartoons are very random and have no formula. But Avatar has a consistent story that keeps the watcher at the edge of their seat and leaves them wanting to watch more. It is a timeless piece in history that will never be forgotten. Nickelodeon has received so much praise for  this show and even had a remake called the Legend of Korra that also has great ratings.

    This cartoon has many of the characteristics of anime, it’s emotional, and it has great dialogue. It even won the Emmy Award for Individual Achievement in Animation for one of the final episodes – “Lake Laogai” – which featured an incredible fight scene between Azula and Zuko.

    Avatar also makes me wish that those different tribes and elements were implemented in the real world. Like, honestly bending fire is so sick! You can make food and fly with firebending. Firebending can also conduct lightning which is super beast. My favorite element would have to be water because it’s very resourceful. For an example, characters in the show can get water from sweating and from the moisture in the air. They can also bloodbend to control people’s movements. Earthbending is an ok skill, but not as exciting. Characters can build houses and bend metal. With airbending, you can basically fly and do other stuff like that.

    While the original Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon series ended in 2008, Netflix has announced a live action version that is beginning production this year, but there is not yet a release date.

  • This Is Innocence

    More people are hopping on the Michael Jackson hate train since the premiere of the Sundance documentary Leaving Neverland.

    The film follows the alleged victims Wade Robson and James Safechunk as they go over in detail the experience and trauma they endured in their relations with Michael Jackson. Now, reports of Michael Jackson sexually abusing children is not a new claim, in fact Robson was the first witness in Jackson’s 2005 trial.

    I’m not going to tell anyone what to think, or in any way try to discredit the film’s work, how can I when I never seen it. All I’m offering is my own personal opinion and how the facts that are presented to me support that.

    I’ve been hearing Michael’s name come up a lot more often now ever since that R Kelly miniseries. Now, I’ve defended Jackson numerous times and will continue to do so until someone can give me any substantial evidence.

    R Kelly has had so much evidence put against him for decades and is barely getting any consequences this year, while Michael’s entire reputation and career was tarnished after just hear say. And to this day no significant  evidence has been found to support the idea of Michael Jackson being a child molester. Headlines had before claimed to have actual proof, such as last year’s “Child Pornography Found in Jackson Home” which turned out to be a book of art containing 1 page of a shirtless boy brushing his teeth. People of course only remember the headline, not the actual story.

    Another questionable aspect is the fact that most alleged victims never really pushed to go to court and opted rather to settle out of court. If I were a parent and my child was sexually assaulted, I would rather have justice than money in the bank. These men are coming out now to tell their story and I’m not saying that you shouldn’t hear them out, I fully intend to as soon as the film is made available.

    Just to be completely clear, I’m in no way, shape, or form trying to call all the real victims of sexual assault liars, if you experience something please report it, the world deserves to hear your story, and if it ever comes out that Michael Jackson was in fact a child molester, it will be a hard pill to swallow, but I will admit my wrong.

  • Go For Gold

    With graduation vastly approaching, seniors and their parents are starting to plan out their celebrations. It might even feel as if some parents are more excited than their student.

    The pressure to meet your parents expectations is, I assume a life-long struggle. I am not yet prepared for the anxiety I will receive walking across the stage, and the confusion on my family’s faces when wondering why my cap and gown is green.

    My aunt Marie attended Poly, so naturally I had to as well. There is a framed photo of my family hero glued onto my grandmother’s wall, it’s there that she taunts me, smiling in her pure gold cap and gown. I’ve stared at that picture my whole life, waiting for mine to be glued up next to it.

    This of course will not happen, since receiving a gold cap and gown is not easy. It’s a way to praise the perfect attendance, 4.0, cookie cutter scholars, while the the rest of us normal folk rock the standard green. Don’t get me wrong, those students do deserve it. They’ve given their all and sacrificed a lot to be on top, but you know what’s a great reward for that? Going to your dream university and having a successful career. I mean, that’s what they do it for, not to make a fashion statement.

    If we are all scholars and champions, then maybe the school should start treating us all like that. Instead of promoting elitism, can’t we all just celebrate together, so my dad won’t be ashamed of me? Don’t set me up for failure, that’s what college is for.

  • Anti-Vax Ignore All The Facts

    A very vocal and very ignorant minority of people keep spouting their stupid beliefs, spreading both misinformation and diseases, diseases that we have had vaccines to protect against for as long as 100 years.

    Measles is a respiratory infection that weakens your immune system and causes a total-body skin rash. Polio causes flu-like symptoms and potentially paralysis, which could be fatal. Cholera causes severe diarrhea, which often leads to severe dehydration and possibly death. Most people would agree that having to deal with these diseases would suck and would do anything they can to prevent themselves or their families from catching . That’s why most sane people get vaccinated and get their kids vaccinated.

    The fact that thousands of parents around the world willfully choose not to save their kids from now easily preventable, life-threatening diseases both astounds and absolutely disgusts me. A totally false, totally harmful misconception we hear from people arguing against vaccines is that they cause autism, which is just plain wrong on so many levels. First of all, this claim stems from one outdated study that’s been proven inaccurate dozens of times, so no one should be basing any beliefs off of it. Second, almost any parent would say they love their children unconditionally, and their health and well-being is the top priority. If that’s truly the case, it is unfathomable to me that some parents would rather risk their kids catching a life-threatening, nearly extinct disease than have them be born with autism; some parents really believe autism is worse than death, and that is seriously jacked up. Babies born with autism (not that vaccines cause autism, but let’s just say they do) can easily grow up to live healthy, successful lives. Babies who aren’t vaccinated and die within a year of whooping cough cannot grow up to live healthy, successful lives.

    Other opponents of vaccines (it’s absurd that they exist in the first place) think vaccines are made just for profits and refuse to give money to greedy, evil Big Pharma. In actuality, a 2015 statistic of the top 20 highest-earning products for pharma companies does not list any vaccines–they don’t make a lot of money. Even if they did, anyone refusing to protect their children against potentially fatal diseases just because of their principles is a lunatic and not fit to raise a child.

    The only sane, relatively reasonable argument against vaccines is that they’re too expensive. It’s understandable to want to avoid any unnecessary spending, but if you just compare the cost of a vaccine to the cost of treating its associated disease (along with the threats to health it could bring), the vaccine becomes well worth the cost. For reference, a whooping cough vaccine costs about $100, while treating it can cost over $10,000, as well as your life.

    If people just stopped clinging to the first bit of information they hear and if they stopped unquestionably believing whatever they’re told and just did a little bit more research, we could reduce the insanely high number of babies dying of diseases we’ve been vaccinating against for decades.

  • A Social Virus

    I personally think social media is a virus to our mental health. It is a magnet for us to compare our lives to others instead of focusing on our own. We idolize celebrities and influencers for living extravagantly, literally wasting money because they can. I am tired of the constant hype for new fashion trends and sales plastered on my feed. It’s like we never get a break to enjoy the current season before the next is shoved down our throats by ads for new makeup palettes, shoes, and clothing.

    Majority of us look at our phones as soon as we get up to see what happened while we were sleeping. A lot of the time using social media for an excessive amount of time can cause us to have a lower self esteem, decrease the amount of time for self improvement, disrupt our sleeping patterns, and cut us off from socializing in person.

    Instead of living in a materialistic society, always worried about the next big thing, we should just use social media as a way to connect with people and send a positive message. Lets bring eachother up and use platforms to educate ourselves on what is going on in the world around us.