Iran

Carter Castillo

Stop the problems in Iran

Opinion Editorpinion Editor

On Jan. 3, 2020, President Donald Trump made one of the was raised by how the Democratic and Republican lawmakers their hand selected team, rather it should be a collaborative eff ort rashest foreign policy decisions since George W. Bush, and it reacted in the following intelligence briefi ngs. Republican with representatives from all sides of congress and the White could have been avoided if Trump consulted Congress like he senator Rand Paul from Kentucky said that the hearing was an House from all diff erent backgrounds all representing diff erent is supposed to. Th e military strike that killed Iranian military “insult to the constitution” because the power to declare war people. general Qasem Soleimani, the right hand man to Iran’s leader Ali rests solely in the hands of congress. A rebuff of the White House Th e magnitude of the confl ict is another reason as to why such Khamenei, set off a heightened escalation between the United from one of the presidents self declared die hard supporter can a rash decision should not be made, especially by one person. For States and Iran, putting a strain on the already weak relationship only mean that this confl ict is not being handled well. Moreover, many residing in the US, this confl ict seems like another newsfl ash between the US and the Middle East. the categorization of the briefi ngs by senators across the aisle on a 24/7 news cycle. However, for the innocent people in Iran,

Soleimani was iran’s highest ranking military offi cial in charge as unorganized and secretive exemplifi es the White House’s Iraq, the Middle East, and those who have a connection to the of the entire Iranian military. He was an instrumental fi gure in dangerous and uncautious handling of this entire situation. middle east, this despair is a bleak reality of their lives. Watching the Iran-Iraq war. As the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Trump’s decision to escalate tensions comes from no another death in a place with recent history of constant confl ict Quds force Soleimani’s group was labeled a foreign terrorist consultation from congress, and the White House has made it and intervention by foreign powers, where people who have no organization by the US government. US and Iranian offi cials clear through their actions and words that they will not be asking personal stake in the matter are able to gamble their lives away. have both noted Soleimani’s popularity within the military, for consent from congress any time soon. Th is is a major concern, We have become desensitized to all the death in our world, and marking him as a charismatic and tactical leader. Th is popularity as one of Congress’s major duties are to regulate a president’s sometimes we forget that every number shown under the word only exasperates the tensions between the US and Iran. foreign policy decisions. When millions of lives are potentially “deaths” is an individual with their own story and ambitions who

On top of Trump’s action against Iran, further concern at stake, such drastic tasks should not be made by one person and lost their lives in a confl ict they likely played no part in. Emily Nagamoto/Prowler Gervais gets blunt

Adalia Luo

Staff Writertaff Writer

Emily Augustine

Front Cover Editorront Cover Editor

Tom Hanks’ face said it all. Th is year’s Golden Globe Awards featured a slew of controversial speeches, with the host, Ricky Gervais, mercilessly roasting the awards show in the opening monologue.

As his fi ft h and fi nal time hosting the Globes, Gervais has been praised immensely for his past runs. Historically charismatic, clever and funny as an awards show host, Gervais did not walk the classic, politely comedic line this time. Instead, he leaped over it with his opening monologue cutting jokes about everything from racist nomination snubs to the pedophilia in Hollywood that’s continued to come to light this year.

“Let’s go out with a bang, and let’s have a laugh at your expense, shall we? Remember, these are just jokes. We’re all going to die soon, and there’s no sequel.” Acting as a sort of preface to the “off ensive” jokes to come, Gervais’ monologue then proceeded to use his comedic background to make fun of the awards show itself.

“You could binge watch the entire fi rst season of ‘Aft erlife’ instead of watching (the Golden Globes). Th at’s a show about a man who wants to kill himself because his wife dies of cancer, and it’s still more fun than this,” Gervais said. Th is joke does have some truth behind it since my experience of watching award shows like the Golden Globes is 90 percent fast-forwarding through the boring parts. However, entertainment is slowly but surely being integrated into these shows, so hopefully this issue will be resolved.

Gervais continued by telling award winners in advance that they should not talk about politics in their speeches because they “know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Th unberg so if you win, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent, and your God, and (back) off .”

Th e blind idolization of celebrities by Americans have led to an onslaught of support for political candidates, causes, etc., endorsed by those in the entertainment industry by imperceptive fanatics. It is incredibly accurate that a signifi cant amount of celebrities either do not know what the life of a common citizen is like, or have forgotten, and yet their politically-based comments, that are normally uninformed, signifi cantly impact the opinions of large populations at a time.

However, this is not to say that their infl uence in the media and wealth can be put towards a good, researched, or created cause. If there is a cause they want to fi ght for or advocate, let them do it. As celebrities, they can make a huge positive impact the same way they can make a negative one. If winners have a cause they are passionate about, they can make change by all means, and through the proper channels. However, the industry standard and expectation should defi nitively not be to preach one’s morals upon accepting an award. Th anking people and leaving the stage is an acceptable way to go about the process as well.

Th e Golden Globe Awards are oft en shrouded in a bubble,but whether or not viewers or celebrities agreed or disagreed upon Gervais, his comments ignited an increased and much-needed dialogue regarding Hollywood culture as a whole. Gervais’ brutally honest monologue is the taste of truth that Hollywood needs.

Emily Augustine/Prowler

Emily Augustine/Prowler