Letter From The Editor: Year Of The Horse

It is fitting that in the Chinese calendar, 2014 was the Year of the Horse. The year charged by with swift speed and is leaving much unsettled ground in its wake. For our last issue of the semester we look at events heralding the coming holidays, reflect on what transpired over the year and look ahead to the next one.

At The Corsair it was an eventful time of change as new editors took the helm. Many of us, including myself, will be back in the winter online and in the spring in print, with a brand new batch of writers as well as staff members who have transcended to editorial positions. We also welcome those who want to get involved, be it through writing, graphic design, photography, video editing etc.

Now the year is closing with great tensions and social conflict across the United States as the issue of police brutality and race relations resurface, igniting protests and wide discussion.

In many ways 2014 will define much of how the rest of this decade develops. In the Opinion section I attempt to draw a broader picture of how the year's events both globally and nationally will frame a world speeding either towards catastrophe or a greater, albeit forced, understanding of ourselves. In the United States at least, we are being forced to confront the ghosts of history but also the socioeconomic realities of a post-recession nation. The issues raised by Ferguson, as well as the resulting national protests, go beyond race. They are issues about poverty, social identity and the relationship between the citizen and the state.

It is as if every headline reflected the words of the German-Jewish writer and critic Walter Benjamin, who invented the "Angel of History" figure while observing a painting by Paul Klee depicting a strange, winged creature. The angel is a witness to a world in constant modes of destruction, but there is still the glimmer of hope that with every tragedy, mankind can also learn and advance. Benjamin wrote, "But a storm is blowing from Paradise; it has got caught in his wings with such violence that the angel can no longer close them. The storm irresistibly propels him into the future to which his back is turned, while the pile of debris before him grows skyward. This storm is what we call progress."

And while the world changed, our campus continued to progress with its own political intrigues and curious incidents which we tried to cover and bring to you with full accuracy.

Now that we enter a season of giving for those who observe the holidays, I would like to say that we will continue to give to our readers the best content and reporting we can provide. The opportunity for us to use the power of words, images and print to tell stories and chronicle the times is a great gift and responsibility. In other countries, simply wielding this gift can be dangerous. Next semester we will continue to do our job and hopefully inspire you, the reader, to pick up The Corsair and voice your opinion as well. We will see you in the spring.

Happy holidays and best of luck on finals from The Corsair staff!