Opinion: Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

Opinion

Venezuela column wrong

Feb. 27, 2014

Eric Brown’s guest column demonstrated hypocrisy in two ways: Its title and its content emphasized why the viral video explaining today’s situation in Venezuela is one-sided. He then went on to emphasize the few improvements the Venezuelan government has accomplished while completely disregarding the country’s significant increase in murders, scarcity in basic day-to-day needs, tyrant rule over peaceful protests and censorship of the media.

Opinion

Venezuela column doesn’t give whole truth

Feb. 27, 2014

Last Tuesday, a column ran in the Alligator titled “Viral video is one-sided” by UF student Eric Brown, in which he discussed Nicolás Maduro, Hugo Chávez and Venezuela. After reading it, I realized some things he said were partially true and some partially false.

Opinion

‘Religious freedom’ bill ignites controversy

Feb. 27, 2014

The land home to the Grand Canyon brought a slew of controversy this week when reactionary legislators passed a religious freedom bill. The bill is an amendment that rides on the shoulders of an act that began after Native American Church members were fired for using psychedelic cacti more than a decade ago. It enshrines Arizona citizens’ rights to religious freedom by declaring that anything done or not done because of a “sincerely held” religious belief is well and good, so long as it doesn’t conflict with government interests.

Opinion

Net neutrality is a thing of the past

Feb. 26, 2014

Think about the nature of the Internet. It’s anything and everything at your fingertips whenever you want it. One day, we will tell our children we lived in a time when information was truly free.

Opinion

It’s time to stop pretending what Student Government is and isn’t

Feb. 25, 2014

The words in this column come difficult for me, as I have many friends and colleagues who are currently enjoying a momentous win with the Swamp Party.

Opinion

Get schooled: education system paradox in the US

Feb. 25, 2014

Education has always been a hot-button issue in this country. One side of this polarizing issue demands respect for teachers unions; the other says standardized testing is paramount.

Opinion

Republicans to blame for Florida's ‘grim’ outlook

Feb. 25, 2014

A new study released by the Leroy Collins Institute on Florida’s economic and fiscal health paints a bleak picture of the state’s present and future.

Opinion

Bearded ladies and double standards

Feb. 24, 2014

Bearded ladies used to be ogled for entertainment as a part of freak shows that were popular from the mid-1800s to mid-1900s, but bearded ladies still exist today.

Opinion

Fresh approach needed to tackle SG corruption

Feb. 24, 2014

Most UF students are by now familiar with the ongoing situation on campus. If you’ve read the disturbing ways the Swamp Party maintains its control over student leadership — as reported widely in the Alligator and the Fine Print — it’s not pleasant.

Opinion

Viral video is one-sided

Feb. 24, 2014

Venezuela is in the international spotlight because of recent violent anti-government protests, which have garnered attention through social media. This past weekend, my news feed was filled with posts sharing a video titled, “What’s going on in Venezuela in a nutshell” and hashtags like #prayforvenezuela. I was immediately reminded of the frenzy involved with KONY 2012 in which people became “experts” on Uganda overnight.

Opinion

Food ignorance is not healthy bliss

Feb. 24, 2014

For decades, popular food franchises and the American food industry have fought tooth and nail while the majority of the public just sits around and watches — or eats.

Opinion

Toy story: In the defense of sex toys

Feb. 23, 2014

Wednesday night I found myself licking lube off my fingers in a classroom full of people.

Opinion

State legislatures are more important than Congress, so pay attention

Feb. 23, 2014

In the age of cable news, political blogs and social media, it’s easy to focus on the political news in Washington, D.C. The noise clogs the pores of all three major cable news networks and permeates throughout the front pages of newspapers until it makes its way onto the web.

Opinion

Manners matter: a common courtesy guide

Feb. 20, 2014

I always get pegged as nice. When I hold the door for a stranger: nice. When I tell someone his backpack is unzipped: nice. When I inform the barista at Starbucks someone left $20 unattended on the counter: nice.

Opinion

BuzzFeed, sponsored content trending

Feb. 20, 2014

Thousands of years from now, historians and archeologists will be scouring Internet archives, and they’re going to find BuzzFeed. And it’s going to be really embarrassing.

Opinion

UF has beef, but we want bamboo

Feb. 20, 2014

Many students and faculty are outraged with UF’s harsh decision to remove the popular campus landmark Bambooville. But the university’s behavior on this matter is far from shocking.

Opinion

Plan to help homeless a step, not a solution

Feb. 19, 2014

Nine years ago, a 10-year plan to end homelessness began in Gainesville. It only takes a walk past Bo Diddley Community Plaza downtown to see how well that went.

Opinion

Anti-LGBT laws show intolerance

Feb. 18, 2014

Last week, I wrote about how the reaction of prominent Republicans to Coca-Cola’s “America the Beautiful” commercial reflects conservative intolerance toward nonwhite and non-English speaking Americans.

Opinion

Minimum-wage raise would be ineffective, increase layoffs

Feb. 18, 2014

To say that Democrats will have a difficult election cycle this year would be an understatement. Forget the fact that the majority of senators up for reelection are Democrats who represent red states and that House seats are pretty secure. Forget the fact that the president is losing favorability each month while the economy struggles to grow.

Opinion

What to know about Venezuela

Feb. 18, 2014

Last week, I spent my Wednesday night watching “Breaking Bad” episodes on Netflix.