My Hot Takes as a Senior in College

Abigayle Allen Opinion Editor

Every person is entitled to their own opinions and beliefs about the world. These differences are what help our society grow and change overtime. For this week, I decided to hop on the trend where I discuss my top hot takes regarding food, school and life in general. 1) Starbucks is superior to Dunkin’. I feel like this take could be a topic of debate for my fellow caffeine fanatics. Coming from an ex-Dunkin’ employee, I think that the quality of espresso beans and coffee beans at Starbucks have a stronger flavor and a stronger effect. Dunkin’ tends to be watered down with too much sugar, cream and syrup that you inevitably lose the coffee flavor you most desire.

2) Taking a Switzerland stance. I think a lot of people during our gen- eration put high value on either being Republican or Democratic. Our social landscape is almost defined by being a far right-winger or leftist. When voting, rather than having the option to vote for the best candidate, many people are pressured to take a side. Coming from a family that is divided between the two, I have been privy to many political debates. Instead of joining in, I listened and took note of how uncomfortable the situations were. I would like to say I take a neutral stance when looking at politics and forming my own educated opinions.

3) Trader Joe’s is overrated. Okay, so this one may definitely ruffle some feathers, but I think that Trader Joe’s can be classified as a bandwagon fad that many people jump on after seeing their favorite influencer shop there. Personally, I think that it’s overpriced and that many of the more unusual things that you will find on the shelf end up not living up to their description. Bottom-line, any other grocery store is just as good, if not better. 4) “The Office” is criminally unfunny.

I hear so many of my friends speak about how funny they think “The Office” is and that there is something wrong with me for not liking it. I am sorry, but if I fall asleep not once, not twice but three times during the first episode, there is no way I am sticking around to finish the series. I know that everyone who is an avid fan of “The Office” says that once you make it past the first season, it gets better, but if I must suffer through an entire season just to get to the good part of a show, it is a no from me.

5)Reality TV is overrated. On Monday nights, children from his fame with “Old Town Road.” Did Lil Nas X go too far, or is this self-expression acceptable? Many other artists have leaned into including satanic symbolism in their music videos. In her song “All the Good Girls Go to Hell,” Billie Eilish first appears wearing white angel wings in the beginning of the music video, but after falling to hell, her wings turn black, and her background dancers appear in the flames behind her. In her song “Hold Up,” Beyoncé shows a Bible sinking in water after singing lines about meeting the devil. This glamourization of hell has become a trend for artists, but how does it affect certain audiences? I cannot speak to what someone should be- lieve and what someone should not believe. Every person should have a right to their personal feelings and beliefs, but when you hold a position of power, I think that discretion is necessary. Some of these artists are idolized by younger generations and, rather than taking on their favorite popstar’s belief, children should have the right to be influenced by their families and own influences to form opinions. Moreover, when did it become a trend to include satanic symbolism in the music industry? Whether it is a rite of passage or an expression of personal beliefs, it is my opinion that artists should censor their content before allowing it to be seen by the public. women and men around the world gather in front of the TV to enjoy the latest episode of “The Bachelor.” I cannot understand the obsession with shows that are so obviously fake. I think that maybe the first couple of seasons were good and slightly enjoyable. However, it has become worse and worse as more series are produced. This can be said for any of the popular reality TV shows, including (but not limited to) “Too Hot to Handle”, “Love Island”, “Selling Sunsets.” If you are a fan of watching scripted drama with terrible actors, reality TV is for you.6) Class attendance should not affect a student’s grade. I understand the principle behind showing up to class and making sure you are comprehending the lectures and class participation grades that come from being a stu- dent. I also realize that many of us are young adults and must begin taking on tasks that do not always allow for us to attend these sessions.

Whether you have a job and you need to pick up another shift so you can afford rent, or you have a doctor’s appointment that you must go to, sometimes making it to class is simply out of the question. After COVID-19, many of us were sent home and took part in online classes for an entire year after the outbreak of the pandemic. Shifting back into in-person classes is not always the easiest once you get used to learning in a certain way. I am in no way telling you not to go to class, but if a student has their work submitted, and they are making good grades on a test, why fail them for bad attendance?

Opinion

History

Continued from page 1

They claim that the event was simply Allied propaganda that was crafted to ruin German reputation and villainize the people. This anti-sematic viewpoint essentially works to dull down the severities of the event or to wash away the stain that Nazism left on Germany. Although there are not many that believe in this obvious and embarrassing conspiracy, soon enough, time will pass to where survivors of this event are no longer living. It will become easier to pass along fabricated stories to the younger generation.

Situations such as this one bring to light the true power that historians hold when communicating and documenting facts. It can be painfully easy for these people to withhold certain details or write in a manipulative manner that skews the opinion of the public. This has also proven to be true in the way that the history of slavery in the United States is communicated by modern historians and sociologists.

In the “SpringerLink” article “The denial of slavery in contemporary American sociology,” author Orlando Patterson dives further into the ways that slavery is not properly communicated in this country.

“In this paper I explain this scholarly neglect as stemming from three factors,” Patterson said. “First, disciplinary parochialism has blinded US sociologists to the complex interweaving of enslavement with the systems of oppression that sociology has decided to care about.

Second, presentism, an historical ‘account’ of the past that culminates in a preference for present-day events and institutions, has relegated slavery to history. Finally, theoretical frameworks that revise enslavement as ‘ennobling’ erase the long-term effects of psychological and physical violence on the descendants of enslaved peoples.”

There are certain aspects of history sociology that diminish the true horrors that were