Happy by Marina and the Diamonds
Unlike most of the things included in this post, which are more about the big picture though still very important to me, this song is, in my opinion, the best of 2014 because of the personal affect it had on me. Marina and the Diamonds' new album, Froot, will be released in April, but she is releasing a few songs from it before the official debut, one of which is Happy.
In Marina's other two albums she has written about, among other things, the depression she's suffered from for the majority of her life and her struggles with identity and loneliness. But, as she said in an interview about her album before any song was released, Froot is about finally finding happiness. One of my favorite quotes from the interview is as follows: "I used to believe that being depressed was part of my personality or that I was born like that, but it's actually quite shocking realize that perhaps that isn't the case."
The song Happy is a melancholically hopeful song about finding happiness—perhaps not euphoria or complete lack of sadness, but finally having a "life worth living for", which is something that really hit home for me. The first time I heard the song it made me cry because even though I haven't gotten to that place of contentment yet, but to see someone I already looked up to who has felt the way I feel get to a place I wasn't sure existed really was amazing, which is what made this song probably the one that affected me the most this year.
2. The best movie of 2014
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
The penultimate movie adaptation of Suzanne Collins' hit young adult dystopian series was probably the best movie I saw this year. It was towards the end of 2014, a year that was packed full of tragedies and revolutionary movements. Many of the scenes, I think, hit home with a lot of people even if they hadn't been involved in this year's events, simply having seen the pictures on the news.
There have also been a lot of situations this year that have been eerily reminiscent of situations in the dystopian novels themselves, from the militaristic police in the U.S., to the increasing class disparities in many of the world's richest countries, to the bombings in Gaza, I think the theme of rebellion against the oppressors is a theme that was repeated throughout 2014, which made Mockingjay Part 1 quite applicable.
However, it's important to remember that these real-life tragedies shouldn't be reduced to thought processes that go something like "Hey, this is kinda like that scene in the Hunger Games!" It's trivializing to the struggle of those being victimized—instead remember that this is real life and if you're comparing our real life to a dystopian series, something is terribly wrong, and maybe you should try and educate yourself on the situation and do your part to try and make it right, even if it just means spreading awareness on social media.
3. The most important news story of 2014
Michael Brown's murder and the Ferguson protests
On August 9th of 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old was shot multiple times and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. The subsequent protests, as well as Wilson's lack of indictment, cracked discussions of the militarization of police and race in the U.S. wide open after years of privileged groups claiming that America is a "post-racial" country.
Several other cases of black people being killed by American police officers both before and after Brown's death gained publicity and incited protests across the country, as well as solidarity movements in other places by other people facing marginalization, such as in Palestine and Hong Kong.
4. The most important person of 2014
Laverne Cox
Transgender actress and activist Laverne Cox, best known for her role on Orange is the New Black, gained a great amount of publicity and popularity this year, appearing on many talk shows and other platforms to talk about the struggles of the trans community, a group that even with the surge in LGBT rights movements is often pushed off to the side.
She and other high-profile members of the trans community like Janet Mock have become some of the loudest voices for the "T" in LGBT. They've done incredible work and they have raised a great deal of awareness to an issue that far too many people are oblivious or ignorant or bigoted towards, becoming some of the most prominent and revolutionary activists of this year.
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1. Something that happened this holiday that I think I'll remember is on Sunday when my friends and I were eating on 6th street and we saw a parade of neo-Nazis with assault rifles and signs plastered with Hitler quotes walking down the street. It was, honestly, nauseating.
2. My main resolution for 2015 is to focus on bettering my mental health—I've been unhappy for far too long. Which means I will surround myself with positive people who are willing to support me, do things that I love and not things I just feel obligated to do with my free time, and seek help when I need it.
3. I'm really looking forwards to Marina and the Diamonds' new album in April, going to Europe this summer, and getting my driver's license when I turn 16 in December.
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