Central has always been known for our over the top hype videos, and this year has been no exception as Will DeAngelis and Charles (Chaz) Zayed, social chairs, take the cocky, self absorbed and affluent oriented hype videos to the next level. The recent basketball hype video took place on a private jet, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

One of the biggest rivalries that we have as a school is against Lyons Township. There are decade old stories of students from our schools poking fun at the economic status of each other. LT kids would wear gold covered clothing to make fun of the ‘rich kid’ personality that Central kids have, while Central students would wear trash bags to poke at the contrasting stereotype of LT students.

Think about it, which makes more sense? Letting them hurl insults at us while we do nothing but return fire? Or should we be relishing in their attempted verbal torment, numbing the sting of the insults until the effect is nonexistent? Obviously the latter.

There has been some effort from members of our student body to sedate the vicious, pretentiousness of our videos to instead focus on things that are more important, like character. Now, I 100 percent agree that the character of our student body weighs far heavier in importance, however, lets just set the scene for a hype video focused on these attributes.

Will: Oh boy! I can’t wait for this great showing of sportsmanship at the upcoming basketball match!

Chaz: Yeah! the game is sure to be a hoot! And I’m sure everyone will play fair and square, being as friendly as us at Central always are!

*Player from the opposing team walks into the scene falls down and skins his knee*

Will: Oh no friend! It seems you have taken a tumble!

Chaz: Let us help you out. Though I hope our team wins at the upcoming sporting event, we, as Hinsdale Central Red Devils, will always be kind and courteous to our fellow conference athletes.

Player: *gets up* Gee wiz! Thanks, you too! I guess Central kids aren’t so bad after all!

*All three join hands and jump. The frame freezes with them suspended in mid air as the text “Devils should be nice too!” scrolls into the frame, and the screen fades to black as the song “All You Need is Love” wells in the background*

It’s Friday!

While this is of course hyperbolic, I think I have made my point. It isn’t realistic to try to make the hype videos something they aren’t by forcing a character driven message down the throats of our students. Not only will this accomplish nothing and make us look beyond ridiculous, it is just simply not entertaining. Hype videos are for just what the name entails. Hype.

“Our purpose to spread awareness of upcoming sporting events or activities, whether with humor or intensity. This gets kids more involved and creates a more active school. Get people hyped for these events and to be themselves with a community of students,” said Chaz Zayed, senior.

So don’t try to force some deep, introspective meaning out of these videos and let them exist purely as what they are, and don’t take them too seriously either.

“The videos with this stereotype in it are 100 percent comedy. Joking around and doing funny, crazy, awesome things are just who we are in nature,” said Will DeAngelis, senior.

And obviously, as our student body and faculty are well aware, Red Devil Nation, through all the hype and exuberance, still maintain more than enough character and sportsmanship to justify our simple jokes.