The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 20

February 2, 2021 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 11 Opinions Post-inauguration thoughts Groundhog Day: The underdog holiday Since 1886, citizens of Punxsutawney, PA have gathered around on the morning of Feb. 2 to predict weather patterns with a groundhog named Phil. This celebration, known as Groundhog Day, is, unfortunately, one of the lesser known holidays celebrated here in the U.S.. According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, Groundhog Day originated from the Christian holiday Candlemas, where every Feb. 2 Christians would bring candles to their church to have them blessed. These blessings were believed to bring good luck to the household for the rest of the winter. Afolk songwith the lyrics, “If Candlemas be fair and bright, Come, Winter, have another flight; If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Go Winter, and come not again” was written, and is the origin of weather prediction on Groundhog Day. The actual use of an animal comes from Germanic folklore, where a hedgehog was used to predict if winter would last an additional six weeks. Since there are no wild hedgehogs in the U.S., a new rodent was selected, and now, we have Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog that we know and love. Americans tend to go overboard with holidays. The Fourth of July, Christmas, Halloween and even Easter have huge traditions attached to them and place a lot of pressure on Americans wanting to celebrate. Individuals We are living in strange times. Exactly a year ago, people looked forward to the new year. 2020 would be the start of our roaring twenties. Instead, we were held back. 2020 was a year full of violence and uncertainty, but maybe 2021 will be different. Can we reasonably expect a calmer and less overwhelming 2021? On Jan. 20, Joe Biden had his long-awaited inauguration. Having run for president three times, starting all the way back in 1988, he did not let anyone take away his big day, not even coronavirus. Now that we have a new administration, what is the future ofAmerica and the rest of the world looking like? Unfortunately, I believe things will not improve. Things have become tribalistic. To start off, polarization from both ends of the political spectrum will continue to get wider, all thanks to the fear-mongering and lies from the media. I have never trusted legacy media and I know I am not alone. Axios recently reported that confidence in the media has reached an all-time low; 56% of Americans believe that journalists try to mislead their audience and 58% believe that the media is mainly interested in pushing a narrative and not information. Thanks to the media, half of Americans believe in one reality while the other half believes in another. While a division is not inherently bad --people can always agree to disagree -- it gets ugly when we get one side actively shutting down the other. It is no secret that Silicon Valley is going on a censorship spree as they have been banning anyone that goes against their reality. From Twitter banning former president Donald Trump before his final day in office to Facebook removing the WalkAway campaign, a movement founded by liberals, it seems like anyonewho does not support the establishment is getting silenced. While private social media companies can regulate their platforms as they please, we have to call into question the motives behind the mass censorship, especially if they’re as big as they are. Some may say I am being negative, but things have been broken in this country for the past 20 years. Where does that leave us, the general population? Firstly, we have to stop putting so much trust in the media, corporations and the government. Given that we live in a capitalist, constitutional republic, it is easy for those in power to mislead us if we are not paying attention. If they do abuse our trust, do not resort to violence. Violence in the 21st century dissuades more than it persuades. Instead, have a conversation. Because I believe in a market of ideas, good ideas will prosper with the masses while bad ideas will simply fade away -- hence why censorship is never the answer. PRINTED WITH PERMISSION BY WASHINGTON POST spend hundreds of dollars on food, party supplies and gifts for each of these holidays, while the only product one could spend money on for Groundhog Day is a plane ticket to Punxsutawney, PA--or, due to Covid, a cardboard cutout with a photo of yourself on stage with Phil- -or Punxsutawney Phil merchandise. Groundhog Day is a simple, straightforward holiday that places very little pressure on those who celebrate. Alowmaintenance holiday is just what one needs after living through another holiday season. Another perk of Groundhog Day is that it is incredibly wholesome. Agroup of men dressed in top hats and trench coats pull out a furry rodent while thousands of people watch. If the cute and cuddly creature sees his shadow, then we have to endure six more weeks of winter. However, there is no scientific evidence to back this up, and Phil only has a 40% accuracy rate. Regardless of his accuracy, people are excited to see Phil and hear his prediction. Groundhog Day is one of the few, if not the only, holiday where the people celebrating cannot be disappointed as all the activities of the day are just meant to be silly and fun. Groundhog Day is the perfect holiday for Americans as we tend to get caught up in bigger issues in life. This celebration allows us to take a quick step back from all the hustle and bustle of the real world and appreciate the smaller things, such as America’s most iconic rodent. By: Tomas Salom Contributing Writer By: Evan Kelley Contributing Writer