We can still be thankful in 2016

Yeah, I know, 2016 has been a CRAZY year!  Trump is now president, gender fluidity has become a new symptom of Special Snowflake Syndrom, and many people are now fearing for their lives and livelihood.  But, despite all of this craziness, we can still be thankful in 2016.

The Cubs won a World Series

Even if you're not a Cubs fan, like me, you still have to marvel at the fact that you got to see them win after 108 years; you witnessed sports history go down.

We had the FREEDOM to vote for our leader

Instead of having it chosen for us, or having the position of President passed down through a lineage, we all got to participate in the choosing of our leader via voting.  Even if your favored candidate didn't win, you and many other people still had the privilege to vote for your favored candidate and give them the chance of winning. 

Leonardo DiCaprio won an Oscar

We've all been waiting for this moment!  Hollywood has finally recognized the amazing acting talent that DiCaprio was gifted with!

The ice bucket challenge helped with ALS research

Thanks to the ice bucket challenge, many donations were given to ALS research foundations.  Because of the extra funds, doctors were able to find the gene that causes ALS, which makes us one giant step closer to a cure!

We got more Harry Potter this year
I personally am not a Potterhead, but a lot of my friends are and they were all overjoyed at the news of another Harry Potter book/ screenplay being published and of having a new movie come out!  Even I enjoyed seeing Fantastic Beasts in theaters.

Toys "R" Us has instigated a "quiet hour"
Toys "R" Us has started a "quiet hour" in their stores where the lights are dimmed and the facility is cleared of all loud noises so children with Autism can shop there! (this one was my favorite!)

We got MORE Captain America this year
I am (very obviously) a Captain America fan, and so are a lot of my family and friends!  Captain America: Civil War may have crushed my soul and dried me of all my bitter tears, but it was so nice to see good ol' Cap, Bucky, Sam, and the rest of the Avengers in action again.

Christ is still in control and he always will be

All of the craziness is happening for a reason, GOD hasn't left us nor will he ever, so we have no reason to worry.  If we trust and rely on Christ, instead of our faulty government run by fallible man, we shall always come out on top.

See?  We can still be thankful in 2016 and every year after.

The case against Meghan Trainor

Meghan Trainor hit the mainstream radio in the summer of 2014 with her hit single "All About that Base"; a song all about body positivity... well, sort of... Here is my case against Meghan Trainor.

"All About that Base" is basically a shoutout to all the big girls out there, telling them that they're just a beautiful as those, quote unquote, "skinny bitches" (that is an actual lyric in the song).  Now, big body positivity is a great thing!  No one should be pressured to conform to an impossible standard of beauty!  Problem is, Meghan shames those who aren't big girls.  She throws a lot of mud at people who are skinny, which is the opposite of body positivity.  She's basically saying that if you're not a curvy girl, then you're a "silicone Barbie doll".  Big is beautiful, but saying that you absolutely have to be big in order to be beautiful is not a message we want to spread.  All bodies are beautiful, big or small.

Or what about the song "No"?  It's all about how to say "no" to any unwanted male company.  Again, this song does have a good-intentioned message; "no does not mean convince me" is a great message to spread!  But... the way Meghan tells girls how to do it is not.  "Lick your lips and swing your hips, girl all you have to say is'no'", I mean really?  Fist of all that extremely rude and provocative, second, that'll only piss the annoying guy off.  And if he's pissed off, you could get seriously hurt, or even worse.  Saying 'no' is great, but do so kindly.

Last, and certainly least, is "Dear Future Husband".  Today's culture is all about gender equality, which is great!  This song embodies this; not letting your husband walk all over you and expect you to act as his personal slave is great!  But, turning the tables and expecting the man to do all of the work and make all of the sacrifices is not equality!  Anyone in a semi-functioning relationship, romantic or not, knows that the hardships of relationships should be shared, not assigned.  Men, don't treat your spouse like a slave, and women, don't expect your spouse to carry the whole load.

Meghan Trainor seems to have good intentions when it comes to her song lyrics, but you know what they say about good intentions; they're the pavement on a road that no one wants to be on.