Reflecting on Summer: A Farewell Piece
By Zach Roozendaal
If you’re anything like me, then saying goodbye to the +20°C temperatures, the outdoor swimming pools, ice cream on the patio, camping with family and friends, fishing like a survivalist and wearing shorts are going to be things you’ll definitely miss. Now we’re officially into fall, and now it’s time for the long and bitterly cold road ahead that we need to plan for, as they said in Game Of Thrones, “Winter is coming.”
But before we get fully ready to move into sweater season and the spirit of the fall season before the snow hits, let’s reflect on the summer and some key moments throughout, as well as some things to look forward to for those who are feeling the post summer blues.
First of all, it’s no secret that the entertainment industry has had a kind of mixed success despite the pandemic. TV shows and streaming services and video game companies have all seen their profits going through the roof as people desperately try to escape boredom, but theatres across the globe have taken a huge hit as have many films, many of which either were put directly onto streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu or Disney+ or were just delayed in the hopes that within 6 months to a year things will have eased up enough for theatres to reopen.
Black Widow, the film launching the MCU’s 4th phase was among those films, as well as the direct sequel to the 2018 partial reboot of 1978’s Halloween, John Carpenter’s Halloween Kills, however the trailer for it was released on YouTube, and despite being as baked as a pumpkin pie in his obsession’s basement, Michael Myers is still letting nothing stand in his way of his pursuit of Jamie Lee Curtis’ incredibly iconic portrayal of final girl Laurie Strode. As well as that, rumours of a sequel to the highly controversial yet comedic mockumentary Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, a film that follows British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen playing a fictional journalist named Borat Sagdiyev, a reporter from Kazakhstan who’s antisemitic, homophobic, racist and sexist actions and comments were meant to mock the idea of prejudice and highlight how prejudice is fuelled by ignorance and unwillingness to accept proof defying the prejudice ideologies some members of society possess, although Cohen since claims to have retired the character due to the many controversies surrounding the film, although a video was shot in Los Angeles and published several weeks ago showing Borat in a yellow pick up truck, as played by Cohen himself, with the rumour being that a sequel has been secretly filmed during the pandemic.
This summer we also witnessed the divisive controversies of racial tensions between police and Black Lives Matter protestors, ramping up to what some claim may be the beginning of a civil war. In addition to that, many rallies have been held by current president Donald Trump and his political rival, Democratic party nominee Joe Biden, however the election will be one of historic proportions, with it being incredibly different in how the voting system works with the Coronavirus pandemic. Voting by mail is now going to be a necessity, and like it or not that’s the direction it’s headed as the United States moves to try and further curb the spread of COVID-19.
The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics have been moved to 2021 as a result of the pandemic. High schools across the world had to engage in strange graduation ceremonies, although at least for my sister and her boyfriend’s class this year they still had a ceremony, although no banquet or after party occurred.
Finally, there were the sad and unfortunate deaths of both actor Chadwick Boseman and Supreme Court Justice and feminist icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Boseman was known for incredible portrayals of many characters, bringing to life famous iconic figures like baseball legend Jackie Robinson and jazz artist James Brown, and most notably King T’Challa, also known as the superhero Black Panther, and ruler of the fictional African nation of Wakanda. Boseman redefined the superhero genre with his character’s debut in Captain America: Civil War in 2016, but gained more of a following after the release of his Black Panther solo film in February 2018. In 2016, Boseman had been diagnosed with colon cancer, but despite the disease he persisted through the pain, giving people around the world hope and making his fans scream his iconic phrase “Wakanda forever” a battle cry his character would yell to rally his fellow heroes. Marvel Studios has yet to give comments for their plans on what is to happen with the sequel definitively.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the other hand, was a feminist icon, becoming an advocate for women’s rights and redefining the gender roles of women within the US legal system. An introverted and shy woman, she gained popularity and fame and became an iconic figure in the feminist movement, becoming an advocate for equality. Perhaps she was best known for her nickname, RBG or Notorious RBG a reference to the rapper Notorious BIG. She was also made iconic through Kate McKinnon’s portrayal of her during the Weekend Update segment of Saturday Night Live. Like other equality figures, she will live on in our hearts and minds and as key figure in recent history.
And so that ends the summer of 2020. My final summer as a teen, and the first in a very strange and different world, one that like it or not, we have to do our best to make sure that things will be okay for the future in. be safe, don’t do anything your peers wouldn’t do, and also take care of each other. Until next time, this is Zach Roozendaal, signing off.
Goodbye for now!