MUDSLINGER returns for the new year, and to kick off 2026, Opinion Editor Yarely Gaytan and Copy Editor Sirena Troutt set out to answer the age-old question: does a new year really mean a new you? Last month, they tackled whether or not finals are actually stressful. This debate was overseen by Sports and Feature Editor Emma Steele. Yarely is purple. Sirena is gold.
RULES:
- The debate must be kept civil (no profanity, insults, etc.)
- Attacks and responses are limited to exactly three sentences.
- Opponents must each state their argument clearly.
- Turns must be equal. Each turn will have the same number of starting statements, evidence, and/or rebuttals.
- The debate will end once a rule is broken or an editor can no longer defend their point.
- Readers will decide the winner via a poll.
- Have fun!
I like New Year’s resolutions. I think that they are helpful to start the habits people have been pushing off. Although I don’t think people should wait, I think it’s a good thing for people to set their goals at the beginning of the year.
Personally, I’ve never been one for New Year’s resolutions. Maybe it’s because I work on myself spontaneously, but I never got the hype. Every time I try to commit to a resolution, it always seems to fall through.
I see what you are saying, and I agree that people do overhype it, like we see the gym get packed all of a sudden, and by March, it’s empty again. However, I have always been one to follow through and complete my New Year’s resolutions. I think that it’s because I am more of a structured person who needs a deadline.
Alright, so sue me for not having structure! If I did go to the gym, I’ll admit, I’d flee long before March arrived. I just think New Year’s resolutions are sort of overrated, since a lot of people set themselves up for these grand ideas and wind up setting themselves up for failure instead.
Oof… I won’t lie, I agree with you there. I think that people should be more realistic and true to themselves when it comes to grand ideas, as you say. But I will say that New Year’s resolutions don’t have to be overrated if you don’t want them to be. You can set them in late January or early February, just be realistic and examine what you actually need to improve, and I can guarantee you might actually fulfill it.
You’ve got a point! Maybe it’s the pressure to set a goal that gets me. When pressed for ideas, I sometimes find myself sinking instead of swimming. But then again, a lot of times I push off a goal over and over until suddenly it’s December and I’m the same person I was in January. …Maybe it’s a me problem.
This debate has ended due to a violation of Rule #2. Who do you think won? Vote for your favorite below.
See you next time on MUDSLINGER!
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