Alyssa Cruz- Website Editor
Throughout these many months of social isolation and distance, I have been given the rare opportunity to spend time with someone whom I find deeply complex and fascinating: myself. Isolation has bequeathed me unlimited time with my thoughts and opinions. In light of this opportunity, I have produced three “hot takes” (aka unpopular opinions regarding pop culture or even society as a whole) that I believe wholeheartedly encompass my beliefs and that everyone else should adopt in their lives.
Hot Take One: ER is the best medical drama of all time.
Before any Grey’s fans even think of speaking up, I would like to introduce the pure masterpiece that is ER. For those of you who do not know, ER is a medical drama that first premiered on September 19, 1994. It would go on to run for 15 years, ending in April of 2009. It centered around the medical tragedies and triumphs surrounding the fictional County General Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. It kicked off the careers for some very notable names including George Clooney, Goran Visnjic, Eriq La Salles, and John Stamos. Each episode is action packed with the mundane and bizarre cases that plague any emergency room. Throw in countless heartfelt moments and some juicy love triangles, and you got yourself one of the best television series to ever be aired. It does have some competition such as Scrubs, The Good Doctor, and previously mentioned, the ever popular Grey’s Anatomy, but all of those shows lack the true passion and realism ER possesses. Even though the Seattle Grace Hospital may be home to Dr. McDreamy, County was home to the infamous playboy Dr. Ross played by young George Clooney who would give Patrick Dempsey a run for his money.
Hot Take Two: Country music deserves more love and less hate.
To start off, I would first like to admit I used to despise country music. I was ignorant, uneducated, and merely aligned my views with the views of society. It wasn’t until my life was changed forever my freshman year when I hit shuffle on Luke Bryan’s album “Crash my Party” that I realized how wrong I had been. When people first hear the word “country,” their mind immediately jumps to rugged men wearing holey flannels. talking with a horrendous twang, and driving in their beat up pick up truck. Although that specific audience does make up a part of the country music loving population, it is not all of us. I would also like to add that the first people to criticize country music are the same people who suddenly know all the words to “All Summer Long,” “Before He Cheats,” and “Country Road, Take Me Home.” In my opinion, the hate for country music stems from some of the negative stereotypes that still plague the south, the region where the genre is most associated with. Country music is so much more than pick up trucks and mama’s chicken. It is about giving your all in every aspect of your life. It is about enjoying the little things everyday and recognizing when you have made a mistake. It is about life. Country music tells a story that needs to be told and then heard, not ignored.
Hot Take Three: Disney is single handedly ruining nostalgia and the magic of childhood.
This final hot take is perhaps the one I feel most strongly about. If you think back to your childhood, there is always that one movie that no matter where or when you watch it, you are suddenly a little kid sitting in your pajamas. For me, that movie is Beauty and the Beast. The music, the colors, the emotion in that film is unlike any other. You are lying if every time you eat eggs, you don’t think about how Gaston ate 4 dozen eggs every morning to get large, but now that he’s grown he eats five dozen eggs. Or if you have never wondered what the grey stuff tastes like (it’s delicious, just ask the dishes!). Despite these cherished memories already existing, this past decade Disney has decided to put the brakes on as far as creativity goes, remaking the classics that were perfectly fine in the first place. Nobody asked for a Seth Rogen version of the beloved Pumba, nor did anyone ask for the girl from Lemonade Mouth to fail at capturing Jasmine’s tenacity and charm. Disney is somehow managing to make billions by redoing ideas they already had and putting minimum effort into doing so. In my opinion (as if this entire article isn’t), they are twisting nostalgia into cash and fame and they need to be stopped.
That’s all folks! I hope your mind has been blown and are left seriously considering your life choices. So while in this pandemic, I would encourage you to turn on some Hulu to binge some ER reruns, crank up Old Dominion, and most importantly: never abandon your childlike wonder for the Golden Age of Disney. Until next time!
Southview Catalyst 