Everyone has their own opinions on most things. As humans, we love sharing our opinions. Even if it’s controversial, or people won’t agree with you, there are just some things worth arguing over.
We decided to test this statement by asking random people at Dover High School for their “hot-takes.” Hot-takes are usually just controversial or unpopular opinions that lead to passionate, heated (aka hot) conversations. We randomly surveyed students and teachers from multiple class types by asking them for their hot-take on a random topic of our choosing. The topics are as follows: homecoming (most recent Dover High event), Halloween (because ‘tis the season), music (what do high schoolers love more than that?), food (oh wait, that’s what high schoolers like even more), and finally “miscellaneous” which is where the subjects of our study had free-range to get extra opinionated!
We will go through the hot-takes by topic, starting with Homecoming. Kaitlynn Yoder said that she thinks “having a professional DJ is better than not having one.” Many people seem to agree with this, as they enjoyed the blending of songs into one another as the night went on. Zoe McCelland, on the other hand, said that “having a DJ isn’t as fun because the dance is just an excuse to hang out anyway.” We understand both sides and have yet to see whether prom will follow in Homecoming’s dirty, bare-footed steps. Mallory Norman went another direction with her Homecoming hot-take, stating that “homecoming dresses shouldn’t be expensive” and that “expensive dresses should be prom-exclusive.” I think most people agree with Mallory here.
Next up is Halloween! (Sydney’s favorite holiday) The first person we asked was Lillian Garren, who said that she “hates Halloween, since it’s just a block to Christmas, and she believes that Trick or Treat should be on actual Halloween and come with an age limit.” The only thing we agree on here is that trick or treat should definitely be on Halloween night. Having it on a random Saturday night ruins the atmospheric vibes! After this interesting take, we asked Jocelyn Steele for her opinion, which was that “low effort costumes are stupid.” Jocelyn simply wants to be able to understand what you are just by looking at your costume, and we have to agree. Is it even really a costume if it comes with an entire conversation of explanation? Finally, an anonymous student said that everyone should trick or treat. This last take is probably the most controversial, and for this reason, we decline to comment.
After we got through the Halloween opinions, we set out to see what everyone thinks about music, expecting to get run-of-the-mill responses like “Country isn’t good” or “Rap is the best.” We were pleasantly surprised when junior Bryce Beckley took this topic in an unexpected direction by stating that “music classes boost academic performance, one isn’t better than the other.” Here, Bryce is referring to the hierarchy of band, orchestra, and choir. Co-Editor Sydney McCabe loved this take since she’s in Concert Choir and Ars Nova and full-heartedly believes she’s skilled in music theory, even without being in the band or orchestra. Next, we had a more stereotypical hot-take when Chloe Pederson said that “Taylor Swift’s new album is absolutely terrible.” We have to agree, though. Mrs. Pfeiffer-Ward says her hot-take is the opposite, though, and that the album (The Life of a Showgirl) is really good.
Our fourth topic was food. Leading the piping hot-takes on meal-time, Cadence Mitchell said that “baked beans are good and meat is overrated.” Next, Addison Smitley said that she “[in general] doesn’t like most foods and that chicken is the best meat if she had to pick.” Finally, we had Gabe Bonokasi, who went old school with his hot-take that pineapple belongs on pizza!
Our final miscellaneous category might just be the hottest. Starting with Brooke McGlumphy, who proudly claims that “Taco Bell is better than any sit-down Mexican restaurant.” Most people who heard this were left slack-jawed and in shock. Dylan Reed (who was a witness) literally walked away in disbelief. Next, we had an anonymous student say that the “left Twix is better than right Twix.” Sydney agrees because even though there’s no taste difference, there’s a vibe difference. Our final anonymous hot-take was that prom is better than homecoming because there are fewer students present and, therefore, more room to breathe. We think this take is somewhat common and definitely understandable, whether you agree or not.
Overall, we were delighted with the responses to our impromptu survey. We definitely did not expect some of the takes we received, but that just made this article all the better! The moral of the story here is to never be ashamed of your hot-take because you never know, it might just be lukewarm.
