From the winter Olympics that most of us have forgotten about, to the most recent celebrity news, a lot has happened in 2018. Here is a recap of some of the hottest events and trends that took place in the last 12 months.
Northview Events
Vine Day- April 25, 2018
Growing up using Vine, students were thrilled with the chance to remake their favorite classics during prom week. The halls were filled with funny outfits and accessories to try and recreate the perfect Vine look.
Sland- May 12, 2018
A prank we all know, that came with the cone we wanted to disown. Looking back on the night where students all gathered on the “N” we remember the excitement of trying to figure out who the mysterious sland was.
Seniors Nick Mckay and Riley Pitchure’s lip sync- October 5, 2018
We remember the legendary lip sync battle where Riley and Nick demolished senior Carson Chaney and junior Prade Horling. The boys took their own take on Josh Turner’s “Your Man” dressed in full costume and even had a backflip in the routine.
Varsity football playoff game- October 26, 2018
The boys pulled off a successful season going 7-3. We got to experience the first playoff game in four years. The 2018 season will go down in history for the Wildcats.
Clothing Trends
Boy Uggs
Like a blanket for your feet, Uggs have recently caught onto guys as a hot new trend.
Mom Jeans
The jeans that some moms may have retired, but are the hottest take from students!
Pants tucked into socks
Socks tucked into joggers may be a controversial fashion choice, but some students swear by it here at the high school.
Teddy bear jackets
Warm and comfortable, teddy bear jackets have you feeling cuddled 24/7!
Ear piercings
Though the boys may not be getting their ears pierced at Claire’s like many young girls once did, diamond studs for boys are one of the hottest trends right now.
Scrunchies
Back from the 80’s, scrunchies are here to make a stylish and cute statement.
Slide-on Vans
Easy to wear, while also looking clean and neat? Hand us a pair please!
Champion apparel
Once a brand that most people avoided, Champion has made quite the comeback and can be found plastered over plenty of apparel.
Carhart hats
While hats may be a winter essential, the Carhart brand has been keeping students warm, while also adding a touch of fashion.
Slang Trends
“Weird flex but ok.”
“Let’s get this bread.”
“We love that for you.”
“That’s the tea.”
“No cap.”
“Bet.”
“Sister.”
“It be like that sometimes.”
“Dog.”
“Okurttt.”
Internet Trends
Tik Tok
Singing videos have made a sort-of come up after the death of Vine and, though maybe not in the same way, kids are able to karaoke their favorite songs to death on this app.
Dances
This year we have seen dances like “The shoot,” “Zoom challenge,” ” The floss” and “In my feelings,” take place not only on Snapchat, but in the halls too.
Thank U, Next
Earning the top record on Youtube for most views within 24 hours of the video’s release, Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next” is the song/ video that has everyone captivated by her stunning visuals and vocals.
Fortnite
The game that ruined relationships, grades, and took over our screens in 2018. Hours and hours of gaming to win the battle royale!
Oddly satisfying and ASMR videos
Some people may cringe and can’t stand the sound of chewing/ mouth noises, but for others, it gives them a satisfying calmness. These videos are designed just for this pleasant effect and are called ASMR videos. They have many people either loving or hating them.
The Worst trend of 2018: Socialism. More and more people are for less freedom and more power to the government. You might say “I’m not a socialist!” but do you support gun control, are you against net neutrality? These ideas aren’t new, they were originally perfected by socialism and communism. I would like to propose a hypothetical situation. You and three friends have been kidnapped. The man holding you captive enjoys gambling and has given you a chance to escape. There are two doors leading out of the room. One actually leads you out of the room, and the other leads to a pit full of hungry crocodiles. The man will let each of you choose which door to walk through whilst the others are blindfolded. Then you will either hear the screams of your friend dying or hear nothing and know he has escaped. The man will wait a full 24 hours between releasing captives to allow the reptiles to become hungry again. He ties all of you up but one of your friends and then proceeds to blindfold each of you with the exception of the one friend. However, he does your blindfold wrong and you are able to see through it, but he does not know. You watch as your friend chooses the door on the left. He walks through the door and is instantly swallowed up by a starving reptile. You hear his screams until they are cut short by his death. 24 hours pass and another one of your friends is released. He chooses the door on the left and also is killed. The next day your last friend is untied, chooses the door on the left, and dies. All of this you have seen, but your captor does not know that. You are released 24 hours later and walk up to the doors knowing that the door on the left meant certain death, and the one on the right freedom. Despite knowing what happened to all of your friend before you, you choose the door on the left and fall to your death by crocodile below. Are you all confused? You must be thinking that our main character must be a complete imbecile. He knew that the path to the left brought death and destruction, he even saw three other go down it and witnessed their demise. How could one be so idiotic as to repeat the mistakes of the three other friends and be destroyed?
Russia, 1918. Russia is in a bad position. After the great Russian multi-party civil war of 1917, the people are furious. People are killed often in the streets, government buildings are shot up frequently, and many are threatening further attacks. The left has proposed new legislation that many find appealing. Gun control. Without guns on the streets Russian citizens didn’t need to fear for their lives. Taking guns out of their own hands also meant taking guns from the hands of terrorists and anti-war finatics. This law is put into place, but it will not be the first. That year more and more rights of the people are being taken away. The left promises that it will only made the country safer, but in reality it has done the opposite. A new political figure Vladimir Putin is coming into light, and he is able to use this leftist wave to gain popularity and then in 1999 become ruler of the country. (List 3) He takes more and more rights away until Russia is as it is today, a country lacking basic freedoms. You know the rest of the story. Famous for being able to make people “Disappear”, Vladimir Putin becomes one of the most infamous and feared leaders in all of history. Thanks to the new laws that the people themselves voted for, they can only stand by and watch as their country, once great, free, and just, is torn to pieces by Putin and his puppets. The people wished they could have seen this coming.
Germany, 1933. Germany is in a bad position. After the events of world war one the entire world hates them. They are being attacked by groups after revenge, former german soldiers are being shot and killed, and the populace is looking for a way to make the country safer. Like us they had the left and right of politics. The left has proposed new legislation that many find appealing. Gun control. Without guns on the streets german citizens didn’t need to fear for their lives. Taking guns out of their own hands also meant taking guns from the hands of terrorists and anti-war finatics. This law is put into place, but it will not be the first. That year more and more rights of the people are being taken away. The left promises that it will only made the country safer, but in reality it has done the opposite. A new political figure Adolf Hitler has just taken power, and he is able to use this leftist wave to continue taking rights until the people, especially Jews, have none. (Niemietz Web) You know the rest of the story, Hitler begins dastardly acts, acts that nobody is able to stop because nobody has the weapons to do it. Thanks to the new laws that the people themselves voted for, they can only stand by and watch as their country, once great, free, and just, is torn to pieces by Hitler and the Natzis. The people wished that they had learned from Russia´s example and not instituted these laws.
People’s Republic of China, 1949. China is in a bad position. After their civil war the people are scared. They now see the danger that freedom holds. They hope that by giving the government more power they will protected. The turn to the left and socialism for answers. New laws like gun control, and unwarranted arrests take power away from the people, but for some reason the people love it. The government gladly takes what is given to them and by 1950 the country had completely turned to communism, and many suffered under the governments oppressive rule. (List 2) There was nothing the people could have done. They were being done in by the very laws that they had voted in favor of.The people wished that they had learned from the examples of Russia and Germany and not instituted these laws.
United States of America, 2019. America is in a bad position. After all of these shootings and terrorist attacks they are scared. They are trying to figure out whether they should hold with the right and the freedoms of the constitution, or support the left and their allegedly ¨new¨ idea of gun control. It appears that the people are behind the radical left and these policies sure to damn the U.S. to socialism and communism. Much like you heard my story beforehand and wondered how someone could be so absolutely stupid as to not listen to the examples of his friends and pick the door on the right instead of the one on the left that he knows leads to certain death. I feel the same way listening to politics today. We always talk about the reason that we study history, and Mr. Thrall reiterates many times, to study the past so that we don’t repeat it in the future, but do we actually follow this phrase. Besides the three I have mentioned there are many countries that tried the laws and philosophy that the democrats and the radical left are pushing, and every single time they have lead the country to communism or socialism. Both equally horrible states of rule for a country, and both with equally little rights for the people. The American Ideas Association (AEI) said this about socialism. “The main difference between capitalism and socialism is this: Capitalism works.” (Why Web) Why in the world would we try something that has been proven to fail so many times before? It might sound crazy, but this socialism idea really is gaining momentum in america today. “Socialism in America got yet another boost last week when Florida Democrats chose “progressive” Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum to be their candidate in the fall gubernatorial election. Gillum’s primary win comes a little more than three months after The Nation gleefully declared that “Socialism Is on a Winning Streak.”
“Four candidates backed by Democratic Socialists of America won Pennsylvania primaries Tuesday, and come November they could all be legislators,” The Nation said on May 18, two days after socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also won a New York City congressional Democratic primary.” (Pages 1) Don’t let our country repeat the past and become that which we fight against. Freedom was never free, there has always been danger in allowing the masses to decide how they live. We cannot hurt the lives and future of the many based on the inevitable actions of the few. As Obama said, we cannot sacrifice our morals and our freedoms in order to meet our goals. Don’t allow us to relive the past. Let us set a new course, and create a new path for the world to follow. Don’t support bigger government. Hold your freedoms close.
– Joshua Popp
Works Cited:
/pages/Terry-Jones/1013177832041982. “Socialism Ruins Nations And Destroys Economies.” Investor’s Business Daily, Investor’s Business Daily, 10 Sept. 2018, http://www.investors.com/politics/commentary/socialism-ruin-nations/.
“List of Socialist States.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Jan. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_socialist_states.
Niemietz, Kristian. “You Can’t Argue against Socialism’s 100 per Cent Record of Failure.” CapX, CapX, 29 May 2018, capx.co/you-cant-argue-against-socialisms-100-per-cent-record-of-failure/.
“Why Socialism Always Fails.” AEI, http://www.aei.org/publication/why-socialism-always-fails/.