The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 11

October 20, 2020 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 10 Opinions Avatar: The Last Airbender is more than just a kid’s cartoon show Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the few programs to receive a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s categorized as a kid’s cartoon show, which seems warranted given the adolescent sense of adventure, colorful animation and unpretentious humor, but it’s truly much more than that. Since it’s reemergence on Netflix, old and new fans have come together to re- discover why this show has appealed to large audiences as it did the first time around. When it first aired, this show stood as a monument of accurate Asian cultural representation during a time it wasn’t mainstream yet. Although set in a fantasy world, the series pays homage to minority cultures. The Water tribe was inspired by Inuit and indigenous groups, the Earth Kingdom by China, the Air nomads by Tibetan monks and the Fire nation by Imperial Japan. By extension, the affiliated clothing, fighting stances, social norms and spirituality of each setting were authentic depictions. The complex and strong characters make great role models and deal with a variety of topics, including trauma, abusive households, imperialism and colonization, war, spirituality, genocide, government corruption, propaganda, class struggles, environmental pollution and animal abuse. A children’s show that covers this many topics in a light-hearted manner deserves a perfect score on the tomato-meter. Especially since it offers a spin-off that puts a queer woman of color as the main character on a journey of self-discovery, highlighting topics like depression and disability. All wrapped up and topped off with smooth animation and phenomenal soundtrack, this series does it all while simultaneously appealing to every age group. So yes, technically due to the rating, it is a kid’s show, but it’s also so much more than that. Supreme Court justice for all? Ruth Bader Ginsburg who served on the U.S. Supreme Court for 25 years was an avid advocate for women’s rights, liberal progressivism, the first Jewish woman to serve on the supreme court, a mother of two and known as the Notorious RBG. In light of her recent passing, there has been much controversy on who could possibly fill such an incredible woman’s shoes. Whether you align with Democratic or Republican ideals, we should all be able to see that, despite whatever opinion you have on our current president, he should not be able to appoint a new Supreme Court justice this far into the election -- not in the name of preference, but in the spirit of a fair democracy that is being disrespected by corrupt political representatives like Senate Majority Leader MitchMcConnell (R-Ky). McConnell blocked President Obama’s pick for Supreme Court nominee eight months before the 2016 election, saying it was too close to the election day. Now, McConnell has released a public statement, provided by theWashington Post saying, “Oh well. Fill it” when asked about the opposite- party vacancy that is now unfilled during Trump’s election year. Ginsburg died Sept. 18, only two months before the 2020 election. The bias McConnell shows by supporting his own party’s nominee when faced with a similar situation that happened during Obama’s presidencymay be an easy choice tomake, but this should be considered an unjust abuse of his powers against the best possible representation of the people. In a Washington Post article, McConnel said “Americans reelected our majority in 2016 and expanded it in 2018 because we pledged to work with President Trump and support his agenda, particularly his outstanding appointments to the federal judiciary. Once again, we will keep our promise. President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate.” By furthering the appointment of a new SupremeCourt judge before an important election, this action is taking away power from the people in an obviously biased convenience to conservative republicans. Waitinguntil the electionhas drawn to a close and until all votes have been counted to have the people choose their Supreme Court replacement is also a discussed opinion circulating the media right now. If we ever hope to become a progressive country responding to the will of the modern-day citizens of the U.S., how can we do so when our judicial system is so skewed in belief? By: Gabriel J. Stone Contributing Writer Horror tropes: Horrifying or humdrum? When I was a child, I hated horror movies. It wasn’t until I was an early teen that I started to truly appreciate the horror genre. I went from avoiding it at all costs to consuming all of the horror content I could. After I started, I simply couldn’t stop. My love of the genre has grown tremendously over the years, but I find myself seeing the same things happen in different movies. Things that used to make me gasp are nowmakingme sigh because I see how abundant they are. While there are many different types of horror tropes and ways to scare your audience, some of them are offensive, unoriginal and just plain boring. These four horror tropes are so out of date that if you see them in the movie or show you’ve just started watching, I’d recommend looking for a new one. Ignoring stranger’s warnings We’ve seen it far too often; a happy-go- lucky group of friends goes camping at a lake, campground, hotel or any other landmark that is famous for a string of murders that happened years ago. On the way, they stop at a local gas station where an eerie and rugged looking mechanic gravely warns them that they’ll all meet their doom as soon as they arrive. You’re tellingme they decide to go anyways, without a second thought? I am begging horror writers and filmmakers alike to please reconsider making their protagonists so blissfully ignorant when it comes to being warned by strangers. Mental hospitals aren’t like this After the movie “Split” came out in 2016, there was a large discussion around how mental health should be addressed in horror. For too long, the horror genre has relied on throwing a different mental disorder on their villain and calling it a day. One of my least favorite horror tropes is when they go to a mental hospital to inspect a runaway patient who turns out to be the murderer. They often pan to other patients who are mindlessly babbling, screaming and running around waving their arms. It isn’t scary anymore, it’s just sad. People with mental disorders don’t automatically turn into psycho killers, and this trope further harms mental patients by portraying them as insane and dangerous. What’s in the mirror? Albeit, if you enjoy jumpscares, this one probably is a little scary. We all knowwhat’s going to happen when the protagonist looks into their mirror at night. We all get that tingling feeling knowing someone or something is lurking in the darkness behind them. While it does get your blood pumping, there’s no longer that element of surprise. This horror trope is so overused that if I see this scene in the beginning of the movie or in any of the promotional photos, I usually just turn it off. This is just offensive You can’t call your horror movie diverse if the only diverse cast member dies in the first 10 minutes. Minorities are horribly underrepresented in horror movies, and in many instances, the only diverse character dies at some point in the film -- it might even be in the very beginning. If the character manages to survive, then they face being undeveloped as a story character, instead relying on inappropriate cultural or gender stereotypes to further their own victimization. Recently, horror movies made to address racism, homophobia and gender inequality in society, or in the horror genre itself, have been created and widely acclaimed. Hopefully, we will start to see this offensive horror trope die out sooner than later By: Gabriel J. Stone Contributing Writer By: Sofia Gallus Arts & Entertainment Editor Falling for Fall By: Daniella Rudolph Contributing Writer Coming to the U.S. as an international student from South Africa, more than just the slang is different -- and this is to be expected. However, I never anticipated how much I would fall in love with fall culture. Firstly, I just came from an icy cold winter to some of the world’s most tropical climates. It should be Spring for me now and summer is a great season with many festivities in itself, but my body has felt out of place, not only with the humidity, but also because South Africa is six hours ahead time-wise. Even though Fall is not celebrated where I live, I have decided to embrace everything that has to do with fall to get the full American experience, from burnt orange hues in my jumpers and pumpkin flavored everything, to buying pumpkins and ghost lights for my dorm. It atmospherically feels like fall, but it does not look like fall, which is weird for me because there is no better October activity than taking a long bicycle ride down the roads with trees deeply rooted on either side of the pavements, watching the leaves change in shades and graciously fall from the trees to crumble and crunch beneath the wheels of my bike. Fall is also when the really cold season starts creeping into South Africa. So, after a day out, you’d come home and have a hot bath, jump into a fleecy onesie and drink a cup of warm soup before crawling into a pre-heated electric blanket in bed. I really miss the feeling of getting snuggled up underneath the blankets after this nighttime ritual. I can only turn the air conditioning so low here. Secondly, fall shopping is to die for -- excuse the pun. It is Halloween all fall long, and as a Halloween enthusiast, I literally could not have asked for anything better. Going to the stores here was already such a fun and exciting experience for me because I do not have any of them back home. Now, add the fact that they are filled to the broomsticks with decorations. From pumpkins in any color imaginable, to animatronics so scary you couldn’t keep them in your room, whatever your Halloween vibe is, South Florida has you covered. Lace up your boots, boil your cauldrons, drink your pumpkin spice lattes, pack your umbrellas and have the happiest of hauntings this fall.