ART & eNTERTAINMENT & REVIEWS |
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Happy new year's
PICTURE BY EMMA DUFFY
why 2015 was an important year
WRITTEN BY BASHIR ADEN
From the ice bucket challenge to the infuriating dress, 2015 was a historic year. We saw a seventh Star Wars film, the unveiling of Caitlyn Jenner, and the highly-anticipated third album from Adele.
However, with all the fun and memorable things in 2015, there were also a lot of tragedies that took place. This was a historic year because the wide awareness for the need in social justice.
Social Justice of 2015
On Friday, June 26, the Supreme court ruled 5-4 to legalize same-sex marriage. This controversial decision ended a 46 year long battle for equal rights. #LOVEWINS became a viral sensation on Twitter with over 6.2 million tweets.
Due to the questionable deaths of Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland, and Eric Garner, thousands of Black Lives Matter protests have arose this year. Over three thousand people protested in the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. Racism in America was the hot-button issue of 2015. The Confederate flag over South Carolina was finally lowered after millions showed their opposition. Companies like Walmart,Sear,Amazon, and Ebay also announced they will stop selling products that feature the Confederate flag.
With the Congress decision to defund Planned Parenthood, the cause for feminism has become a more widely discussed topic in America. More and more young women are standing up for their rights everyday and the fight for feminism is finally being addressed.
From Caitlyn Jenner to “Transparent” winning the Golden Globe, 2015 has been a huge victory for the trans community. The rights of transexuals in this country is being debated and addressed by the masses. Much more open-minded people in America are showing their support for the trans community and the oppression they face everyday.
While a lot of positive things happened, there were a number of heartbreaking events that affected millions of people around the globe.
Heart Breaking Events of 2015
The amount of domestic terrorism attacks by ISIS seems endless. In 2015, over 200,000 Syrian people (mostly Muslim) have been killed by the Islamic State. Unfortunately their atrocities spanned across the world. On November 13, Isis brutally murdered 129 people in France, 26 people in Iraq, and 3 in Yemen.
The domestic terrorism of 2015 didn’t just happen overseas. On June 17, Dylan Roof massacred nine people in Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, in Charleston, South Carolina.
On December 2, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik shot and killed 14 people in the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino. The domestic terrorism that unfortunately occurred will be one of the biggest problems we must fix in 2016.
The year of 2015 has had it’s ups and downs. The important events that occurred this year will definitely be in the history books for generations to come. With all the good and bad things that happened this year, don’t forget that 2016 is an opportunity to learn from all the mistakes made in 2015 and make the world a better place.
2015: j&j DEBATE
WRITTEN BY JEVEN HORTON & JULIO GARCIA
2015 has been an interesting year, not only for us at the Husky Howler newspaper but for the entire world. Whether it be the gut busting enjoyment of vines, memes or Trump’s political campaign to simple things that we never notice like a Red Moon. This year has been one of a kind like the others before it. J&J thought it would be best to end the year as we started it with the newspaper, however this time without an argument, with a discussion. So without further ado, enjoy the final J&J of 2015.
Jeven: Let me start off things for a change, to me, a shining moment in 2015 was the release of a particular film called “Inside Out”. This Disney Pixar film brought back many reminiscent memories of old school Pixar films while constantly evolving with the world and the audience that views it. It’s a shining moment to me because it’s a film that I find to be rare nowadays. It can reach a wide range of audiences rather than being a niche movie or general, plain, cookie-cutter film. “Inside Out” has a lot to offer, and as a fellow film fan I recommend you watch this. Even if you’re not totally into film, as a person, I recommend you watch this film because it’s theme is one all can relate to in some capacity.
Julio: I agree to an extent. The film was pretty good in my opinion, however to me every Pixar film is the same. They all have the same underlying theme, despite the fact that they change up the template. Personally, I think there were much better movies that came out in 2015. This includes titles like “Mad Max,” and my favorite - “Montage of Heck.” I did however, cry at the end of “Inside Out. “
Jeven: In the same vain as seeing something we enjoy, I think we both can agree that this has been, once again, a great year for the internet and viral videos. A personal favorite of mine is the “John Cena” joke, as a closet wrestling fanatic. It was something that started off as a mere prank call on a radio show and became an internet sensation. The flexibility and near randomness of the joke made it die fairly quickly, however if you were hit a “John Cena” and his catchy music played after, I’m sure everyone couldn’t help but smile then and going forward now.
Julio: Before we start on John Cena, whatever happened with Alex from Target? Did he die? But on a serious matter, I grew frustrated of the John Cena memes and viral videos. I thoroughly enjoyed the RKO out of nowhere more. Also a closet wrestling fan, the accuracy of these videos makes it far more enjoyable, especially for wrestling fans. Plus, watching people fall and hurt themselves is quite amusing. Shoutout to DJ Khaled #anotherone.
Jeven: As far entertainment is concerned, musically, in my opinion the song of the year is definitely “Jumpman” by rappers Drake and Future. It’s a catchy song that literally make people get “lit” with excitement. To me, it deserves some praise because it’s a party rap song, although I am biased to those two gres, I think anyone that wants to have a good time can definitely get behind this song. When you look back on the year, you want to see fun, and this song encapsulates that perfectly.
Julio: Jeven, why do you always have to be wrong? I would rather listen to “Hello” by Adele for 20 hours than listen to “Jumpman.” The redundancy makes me cringe. If you wish to talk about catchiness, The Weekend has an album filled with nothing but catchy tunes. With that being said, the song of the year has to go to “Hotline Bling” by Drake. It’s by an artist that generally everybody likes. And, it comes complete with a dance! You can’t beat a dance.
Jeven: As a wacky note, 2015 was also the year of the meme and those influential one was one of NBA great Michael Jordan. He’s seen by many as the greatest basketball player of all time however, now he may also be the one of the best memes of all time and 2015 took that to the test. A picture of his crying face was taken from his basketball hall of fame enshrinement and since then has been used in many different forms. Even when he’s not trying, Michael Jordan will always be among the best in whatever facet or form he may be in.
Julio: I think it’s insensitive to show anyone crying on the internet. Now that you gave me another chance, I have to bring up another one which is possibly the greatest meme of all time, which originates from DJ Khaled’s music video. This meme can be used in any situation. For example, when your mom asks “How are the cookies?” you can reply “Another one.” Another example is when you’re at Chipotle, and they don’t give you enough meat, you can look straight in their eyes, peircing in their soul and give them the phrase that they fear to hear.. “Another one.” It’s the all purpose meme, suitable for everybody, and quite frankly the best meme of 2015.
Jeven: To be serious now, though, the grandest and most important moment in my opinion of 2015 was the announcement of Donald Trump’s Presidential candidacy. However, you may feel about the man, positive or negative, he has greatly impacted the world we now see today and moving forward. Looking back on his decision will either make you nod or shake your head, but it’s undeniable to act like any of us weren’t affected by this move.
Julio: I agree with that, I say this because his announcement to run for president allowed other people to come out of their shell to say they are running as well. For example, Ben Carson. Traditionally, people who are not politicians do not become president. Neither Carson or Trump have a political background, which I think is interesting.
We hope you enjoyed the final installment of our J&J Debates, this being a special occasion and it being our first discussion. Regardless, we hope you enjoyed your Christmas Break and are prepared to make 2016 a year you won’t ever forget! Good luck and see you again soon.
-J&J
P.S. John Cena 2016