Shop in person on Black Friday

By Hannah Cote

The first time I ate pizza for breakfast, I thought I had broken the law.

Eleven-year-old me was shocked, amazed, and could not fathom the idea of eating “non-breakfast” food in the morning. But there I was, on Black Friday, chowing down on a slice of cheese pizza the size of my head — and joining in on one of America’s weird and wonderful traditions.

Though not an official holiday, Black Friday is widely celebrated across the U.S. Don’t spend your Black Friday online. Instead, make a holiday out of it for yourself and go shopping in person.

Nine years ago, I went to bed on Thanksgiving night excited to awake in just a few hours for my mom and grandma’s Christmas shopping adventures.

We started the day at 3 a.m., bundled up for the snowy weather, and hopped in the Suburban. It was just the three of us driving in the dark to the Tanger Outlets in Sunbury, Ohio, a 45-minute drive from our house. Even at 4 a.m., the mall was already packed with hundreds of people. But my mom and grandma had the whole day planned, and we were ready to begin our adventure.

We started in Pottery Barn, and while they looked at clothes and bedding, I climbed on the bunk beds and couches, picking my favorites and deeming certain couches the most comfortable. We taste-tested all the free pretzels and chocolate samples scattered throughout the rows of stores. While they tried on clothes and shopped for the family, I smelled Bath and Body Works candles, using an abundance of lotions, soaps, and sanitizers, and dug through the treasure chest of dollar section bins in Old Navy and Gap.

As the sun began to rise, my grandma was ready for breakfast. She marched to Sbarro’s and ordered a pizza for us.

“You’re allowed to eat pizza for breakfast?!” I asked in awe.

Moments like this made our Black Friday extravaganza exciting and memorable, and we continued our Black Friday traditions for years to come.

After COVID-19, stores were forced to limit the number of Black Friday shoppers allowed indoors. Malls were no longer flooded with people, and instead, most people had to wait in line to enter a store before waiting in another line to purchase something. clothes, you can’t test out couches, and you can’t try food samples.

If you’re debating shopping online this year, don’t. Instead, go experience the thrill of Black Friday. This holiday doesn’t need to become a wasteful adventure with just over-shoppers and extreme couponers. Spend the day with your family and friends at the mall chowing down on Annie’s Pretzels and attempting to find the most bizarre pair of shoes.

Rather than wait in line, many chose to shop online last year and in 2020. Cyber Monday had a record-breaking 100 million consumers shop online in 2021, 8% up from 2019, while in-person shopping went down a whopping 37%, according to blackfriday.com.

This year, 55% of Black Friday shoppers plan to shop online instead of in-person. But no computer screen can make up for the in-person shopping experience. You can’t try on

And if you love shopping, don’t settle for hours of internet-surfing. My best friend and I have fashion shows in the Target dressing room every year, digging around the racks for the perfect outfit and trying on dozens of items for fun.

Plus, if you wake up in the middle of the night like my family does, you can always enjoy a hot slice of pizza for breakfast.

Hannah Cote is a senior studying English and journalsim. She is outreach director at the Collegian.

The fight to raise awareness about the mental health crisis in Hollywood has never been more present than it is today. With Olympian Simone Biles withdrawing from events to preserve their mental health, artists like Shawn Mendes canceling shows to provide a much needed break, and celebrities like Kristen Bell discussing their diagnoses and medications on live television, it’s hard to believe that the entertainment industry would allow Kanye West to remain this unhealthy and unstable for so long.

West was hospitalized and diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2016, and publicly addressed it on the cover art for his 2018 album, “YE.” The album cover showcases a beautiful, mountainous landscape with the words, “I hate being Bi-Polar its awesome,” written in neon green. On this album, West refers to his mental health struggle as a “superpower.”

After that album, West began speaking openly about his diagnosis and mental health on television.

During an interview on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” West said bi-polar disorder causes him to “go high,” meaning he gets very energetic, erratic, and “ramped up.”

During one of these episodes, West infamously said that slavery was a choice in an interview. Director Spike Lee, Will.i.am, and other Black celebrities shunned West because of these comments and his newfound support of former President Donald Trump.

Recently, West become a topic of conversation again for wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt, tweeting anti-Semitic comments, and breaking partnership contracts with clothing brands.

Looking at his most recent tweets, Instagram posts, and interview responses, West is in one of those “high” moments. But physicians and celebrities seem to have a lack of concern for West’s health. Instead of continuing their efforts to reduce the stigma around mental health, Hollywood is shunning one of its own.

As a culture, we praise performers like Demi

Should pitbulls be banned?

Protect the vulnerable: Ban pitbulls

By Hannah Tully

Imagine coming home one day to learn that your 2-year-old daughter and 5-month-old son are dead, and their mother is in the hospital in critical condition. For Colby Bennard, this nightmare became reality on Oct. 6, 2022, when the family’s pet pit bulls attacked and killed his children and mauled their mother, according to DogsBite.org.

The pit bulls had never demonstrated signs of aggression before, making their attack a shock to Bennard and his wife.

Because of their aggressive nature and history of vicious attacks, the breeding of pit bulls should be banned.

Stories of pit bulls killing or hurting people, including their owners, are common. According to DogsBite.org, an organization that seeks to educate Americans on dangerous dog breeds, pit bulls killed 283 Americans from 2005-2017, accounting for 80% of dog-bite deaths in the nation. While they are responsible for the majority of dog bite-related deaths, pit bulls make up only about 6% of the dog population in America. These statistics show that pit bulls are much more dangerous than other breeds.

Given the history of their breeding, it makes sense. Originally, pit bulls were bred for dog fights, and as a result, they have certain genetic traits that give them an advantage in an attack, according to DogsBite.org. For example, after pit bulls bite, they hold on to their victims and shake them without letting go. Other traits include unwillingness to give up in a fight and unpredictable aggression.

The genetic history of pit bulls demonstrates that the problem with pit bulls is in the dog, not how the owner trained it.

Pit bull victims include owners, family members, and visiting friends, ranging from infants to elderly. According to data compiled by Kenneth Phillips, an attorney in dog-bite law, 53% of pit bull attacks have been pit bulls attacking their owners. Pit bulls do not form strong attachments to their owners. In fact, Phillips has compiled data showing that pit bulls will even eat their owners, leaving nothing but bones after their attacks, according to his website, dogbitelaw.com.

Of course, many owners love their pit bulls and have never experienced an attack. However, the breed is unpredictable and a danger to not only the owners but also their guests.

While animals deserve to be treated humanely, their welfare should not be valued above that of a human.

Pit bulls pose a serious risk to American families, a risk that could be prevented by banning their breeding. While this may seem harsh, it is necessary for the safety of Americans. Although pit bulls attack a range of victims, often the ones who suffer most are the elderly or children like the Bennards. Protecting the vulnerable is nonnegotiable, even if it means sterilizing or banning a specific breed of dog.

Hannah Tully is a freshman studying the liberal arts.

Lovato and Miley Cyrus for talking about their substance abuse and depression. We encourage the spread of information about mental health facilities, physicians, and therapy. But, when there is someone obviously struggling on the national stage, he gets mocked, laughed at, and ultimately canceled.

Maybe it’s because he’s erratic, unreliable, and a flight risk for the image of Hollywood elites. The most plausible reason for this lack of assistance, though, appears to be his political opinions. Over the last few years, West has made his opinions on abortion very clear. He wore a photo of an ultrasound during New York Fashion week, posed with Candace Owens, and appeared on “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

West has made inappropriate, hurtful comments that deserve to be condemned, and he should not be given a free pass just because of his mental instability. But, he also needs to be given the same resources and help that the entertainment industry gives to those whose views toe the line.

If we are going to reduce the stigma around mental health, it needs to start with celebrities like Kanye West. We cannot continue to ignore and dismiss West’s behaviors simply because that’s easier than addressing them.

Megan Williams is a senior studying rhetoric and public address and journalism. She is an editor at the Collegian.

Owners must be more responsible

By Aidan Johnston

During the recent Meet the Candidates Forum at Hillsdale College, former city council candidate Cindy Merritt voiced her approval for a city-wide ban on pit bulls.

“I don’t like pit bulls,” Merritt said. “They’re bred to fight. They’re bred to kill.”

She later reiterated her support for the ban.

“I would not have a problem with an ordinance outlawing pit bulls in this city.”

Merritt has a point. Pit bulls can be dangerous. I grew up hearing horror stories about pit bull attacks, but these stories ignore the noble side of the pit bull.

Pit bulls were once renowned as the all-American dog and were lauded for their loyalty and athleticism, according to BADRAP, a pro-pit bull group. The first pit bull I met was so mild that a family friend was willing to put her hand in its mouth. It wagged its tail happily.

Proponents of pit bull bans are quick to cite harsh statistics on pit bull attacks. What they won’t tell you is how difficult it is to verify the numbers of dog attacks. PitbullHero, a pit bull advocacy group, argues that aggressive dogs are frequently misidentified as pit bulls. There is some basis for this claim: a 2015 study in The Veterinary Journal says one in three dogs without pit bull ancestry were mislabeled as a type of pit bull. Additionally, with no central database collecting statistics on dog bites, it is impossible to know the accuracy of the statistics on pitbull attacks.

The questionable validity of statistics on pit bull attacks makes banning the breed unreasonable.

Additionally, 87.4% of American pit bull terriers pass the American Temperament Test Society’s temperament test. For reference, German shepherds and golden retrievers pass 85.3 and 85.6% of the time, respectively.

Even if pit bulls are a problem in Hillsdale, a ban on the breed does not need to be the first step. There are other common-sense measures that would maintain the freedom to own a pit bull while incentivizing responsible ownership. After violent outbursts, owners of any breed should be fined. This would discourage owners from leaving their dogs unattended while encouraging training the dogs well. Leaving dogs unleashed, unfenced, and unattended could be penalized as a risk to public safety, whether or not the dog actually attacks. If the public still views pit bulls as an issue, requiring a license to own them would ensure responsible ownership. These measures aren’t perfect, but they show the variety of creative solutions that could help the problem. Rather than banning pit bulls, city council should find solutions that minimize all dog violence while maintaining the liberty of dog owners.

Aidan Johnston is a senior studying English.