4 • OPINION
Monday, Nov. 14, 2016
Traitors never win, no matter how much talent JOSH CORTEZ THE TELESCOPE
Kevin Durant is a traitor. The NBA season started on Oct. 25 and while many fans are excited for this season, I am not. Durant, once the beloved small forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder, has since left Oklahoma City to join the already stacked Golden State Warriors. Golden State is currently coming off of a record setting 73-9 season and won the NBA championship in June of 2015. Durant, who was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics before they moved to Oklahoma City, had played his entire career for the or-
ganization. Durant had a successful career in Oklahoma City, leading the Thunder to the NBA finals in 2012, and being named league MVP in 2014. Last season, in the Western Conference Finals, Durant’s Thunder led the Warriors three games to one only to lose the final three games, losing the series to Golden State. Durant, whose contract with Oklahoma City had come to an end, opted to abandon the team and city that had loved him to join the very team that just beat him. Durant followed the old motto of if you can’t beat them, join them. Many fans, like myself, believe that rather than staying loyal to the city
that made him their hero, he instead chose the easy way out and joined an already stacked “super team.” Loyalty is something that means a lot to fans and their teams. Loyalty is what kept Tim Duncan on the San Antonio Spurs for 19 years, and Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles for 18. To see Durant, one of the most talented players in the world, show no loyalty to those who were loyal to him; it’s disheartening. Perhaps Durant is just a symbol of the times. Maybe he’ll ride the coattails of Golden State to his first championship. But at least this fan won’t be watching.
U.S. men’s basketball player Kevin Durant (5) dunks over Serbia’s Nikola Kalinic in the preliminary round at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Aug. 12, 2016. Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS
JCORTEZ@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
Cartoon by Jill Elardo/TheTelescope
Joy for Christmas The line needs to be outside of December drawn for holidays PRO
LINUS SMITH THE TELESCOPE
‘Tis the time for giving thanks to Christmas. There is a myriad of reasons to have a celebration of Christmas that extends earlier into November. I will however, take the high road and avoid pointing out the one about how the opposition would like to take the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and shove it to the last month of the year. Because how dare he try to rob Americans of the opportunity to glutton themselves on fattening, chemically enhanced food (Thanksgiving)? How selfish. Instead, let’s take into consideration that by limiting ourselves to celebrate Christmas exclusively in December, we deprive students of the opportunity to capture the spirit of the holiday. Students are far too busy with final exams and projects to observe classic traditions such as sitting down with the family and watching “It’s a Wonderful Life,” or baking cookies. That is why we extend the celebration of Christmas to November; it gives us the chance to get into the holiday spirit. Thanksgiving is a
one day thing; it does not require its own season as does Christmas. Imagine how empty Christmas would be if we were too busy to even just remark on the creepiness of Santa Clause. “He sees you when you’re sleeping,” “He knows when you’re awake,” we’re singing this to our children? Really? What would we do without those critical conversations that truly make up that Christmas joy? Also, consider for students the fact that the Christmas season provides opportunity for employment. In 2015 there was roughly an additional 750,000 people added to the workforce, many people rely on the extended celebration of Christmas for job opportunities. Christmas also invokes a feeling of nostalgia and calmness, and can be for many a second wind of sorts, that gives the necessary push for students to finish their semester strong. In short, confining the celebration to December would do more harm than good. If the worst that happens from letting Christmas extend into November is an extra month of listening to “Jingle Bells,” then be happy that we received it at such a bargain. LSMITH@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
CON
ASHLEY MAGDALENO THE TELESCOPE
It’s the beginning of October and stores are flooded with Halloween candy and costumes. Mid October comes around and you start to see half the stores flooded with Halloween decorations and half the store flooded with Christmas decorations. Come November first, it’s a winter wonderland in fall. Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas and seeing beautiful colorful decorations everywhere, giving you a jolly feeling. But, wouldn’t it be an even better feeling having the jolly Christmas cheer… during Christmas… or after Thanksgiving at least? Although Christmas music is made to bring you joy and can be very catchy, there isn’t quite the selection to choose from. So how much can you really take of listening to the same 10 songs over and over again for the next two months—at least. Why are people starting to celebrate Christmas two months early, when they still have at least two other fall holidays they
could decorate for; Halloween and Thanksgiving? The fall season isn’t even half way done before some people are starting to bring the winter holiday in. Would you start celebrating your sister’s birthday two months early, when you and your brother still have your birthdays coming up before hers? No, you wouldn’t. It would be rude if everyone just passed over your birthdays and continued onto your sister’s birthday. So don’t be rude and ignore the Halloween or the Thanksgiving spirit of giving thanks and stuffing your face. I say the perfect time to start gearing up into the Christmas spirit, is the day after Thanksgiving. That way the major fall holidays that people decorate for are over, and you can start Christmas shopping and decorating. After all, the day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday. Which means, sales on everything; get a kick start on the Christmas shopping. AMAGDALENO@THE-TELESCOPE.COM