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Sunday, May 10, 2026

Opinion: Columns

Florida Alligator
Opinion

Poor leadership does not equal mental health problems

Jan. 21, 2018

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump underwent a four-hour examination of physical and cognitive health. As of late, some were concerned about Trump’s erratic speech patterns, exhibited narcissism, often poor judgment and rash decision making. He was deemed healthy, passing the cognitive test — the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, widely used to test for early signs of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia — with a reportedly perfect score. This test is fairly high in validity but is not used to assess psychiatric disorders such as narcissistic personality disorder, anxiety or depression.

Florida Alligator
Opinion

The US underestimates the power of nuclear weapons

Jan. 21, 2018

On Jan. 13, Hawaii experienced 38 minutes of fear from a supposed incoming ballistic missile attack when a state employee clicked the wrong item from a drop-down menu. One would think the U.S. government would handle nuclear prevention programs with the same degree of sophistication that makes these weapons possible. Instead, the warning for the inescapable likelihood of thousands of deaths and the beginning of nuclear war was determined by the same interface that students use to save their homework.

Florida Alligator
Opinion

Encouraging children to explore art, music and poetry

Jan. 21, 2018

Does anyone else remember those little “karate belts” we tied to the ends of our recorders in music class? Perhaps a tiny white ribbon for a successful rendition of “Hot Cross Buns,” or a bead hung on a black string for the advanced version of “Ode to Joy?”

Florida Alligator
Opinion

Salvaging Gainesville’s local music scene

Jan. 18, 2018

For a town of its size and seemingly small cultural relevance, Gainesville actually has quite the thriving music scene, far outfighting its weight class. Nearly every night, a stroll down University Avenue into the center of town will offer you some sort of live music options from which to choose. For what might appear to be a sleepy college town from afar, Gainesville occupies a unique position in the musical environment — it has a humming live music scene filled with a spectrum of independent artists, but it also has the might of UF to bring in much larger performers every once in a while. There truly is something to satisfy each musical taste, and it is something that sets Gainesville apart from many other towns comparable in stature.

Florida Alligator
Opinion

We should learn from Logan Paul’s transgression

Jan. 16, 2018

Whatever Logan Paul’s initial thoughts were when he saw a dead person hanging in Japan’s Aokigahara “suicide forest” and whatever his justifications were for making a dead body the subject of a YouTube video, I doubt they were malodorous.

Florida Alligator
Opinion

Let’s continue to fight for our abortion rights on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Jan. 16, 2018

Anti-abortion folks never cease to amaze in the tactics they use to prevent access to this entirely lawful procedure. From protesters harassing women and workers at abortion clinics, to state-sponsored fake medical centers that attempt to trick and shame women out of abortions, our access is also obstructed by laws leading to too few abortion clinics in our state – resulting in women traveling long distances and taking off multiple days of work – and abortions themselves costing hundreds of dollars. To make access to abortion a reality for all women, we need free abortion on demand. To make that a reality, women must fight back.

Florida Alligator
Opinion

Having high-speed rail in America would be a dream, but right now it’s simply not practical

Jan. 11, 2018

Anybody who’s ever traveled across Europe has likely experienced the marvels of a well connected high-speed rail network. Within a few hours, passengers can traverse entire countries, all the while being able to relax along the way. All major cities have proper and up-to-date infrastructure and stations, and the lines have been constructed in such a way that nearly any town or village either has its own stop or is a relatively short drive away from one.

Florida Alligator
Opinion

Don’t be afraid to make a resolution, even if you have failed in the past

Jan. 11, 2018

Happy New Year, dear reader! Welcome back to Gainesville, to school and to your unbridled independence. Did you miss it? Judging by my extensive Twitter research, it would appear that a lot of you did. While I was conducting my all-important social media research, I also came across another common thread. Many people seem to have already crashed and burned in the pursuit of their New Year’s resolutions. This trend is not unique to 2018 — nearly every year I have been a user of social media I have noticed this. People exit a year with big plans and lofty goals for self-improvement. We set goals to accomplish everything from going to the gym to eating healthy, from stopping bad habits to being more positive. And each year, we get upset when we are unable to meet these goals.

Florida Alligator
Opinion

Don’t just pick any summer internship

Jan. 11, 2018

Since kindergarten, we have been asked the question: What do you want to be when you grow up? Although each of our predictions may have changed over time, we will soon have that answer.

Florida Alligator
Opinion

Don’t let your impostor syndrome haunt you

Jan. 9, 2018

I remember meeting seniors when I was a freshman almost four years ago. It felt like I was meeting someone from another generation — another dimension, even. While I was struggling to remember which Regional Transit System bus would take me home, they seemed like they knew everything and done everything. The word senior seemed synonymous with wisdom. And I hoped I probably would have this wisdom, too, by senior year. I had time.

Florida Alligator
Opinion

This year, I want to meet people different from me

Jan. 9, 2018

I am conflicted about New Year’s resolutions. I doubt they do much beyond remind us of how fickle our willpower is. The culture of the new year itself entraps us in a cycle of goals, effort, failure and guilt. It’s not the culture’s fault, however. The culture is simply a reflection of our society.

Florida Alligator
Opinion

Don’t be afraid to make a resolution, even if you have failed in the past

Jan. 8, 2018

Happy New Year’s, dear reader! Welcome back to Gainesville, to school and to your unbridled independence. Did you miss it? Judging by my extensive Twitter research, it would appear that a lot of you did. While I was conducting my all-important social media research, I also came across another common thread. Many people seem to have already crashed and burned in the pursuit of their New Year’s resolutions. This trend is not unique to 2018 — nearly every year I have been a user of social media I have noticed this. People exit a year with big plans and lofty goals for self-improvement. We set goals to accomplish everything from going to the gym to eating healthy, from stopping bad habits to being more positive. And each year, we get upset when we are unable to meet these goals.

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