Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Football and the concussion paradox

Jan. 28, 2014

Right now, the big buzzword for the NFL is “concussion.” It’s hard not to hear about it. Ever since the book and documentary “League of Denial” entered into the sports media arena, concerns for player safety and head-related injuries intensified. The word is in the back of every fan’s, coach’s and player’s mind. I challenge you to find a game where the word “concussion” has not been brought up by the play-by-play or color commentator.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Gov. Scott threw Florida under the rail

Jan. 27, 2014

Driving across Florida is expensive. With gas prices rising, commuting is getting costlier each semester, and unless you’re game for the God-awful shuttle buses, you’re out of luck.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Double standards are really just sexism

Jan. 27, 2014

Unfortunately, it’s become quite acceptable to use the term “double standards.” Double standards, of course, refer to the things socially acceptable for a certain type of person to do while the same things remain completely socially unacceptable for another type of person. Overwhelmingly, the term is used for all things related to gender. The phrase is used by an astounding number of people, partially joking and partially serious. But let’s get something straight here: Double standards are just a way of holding prejudices without actually saying out loud, “I’m sexist.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

HuffPost, stop telling women how to dress

Jan. 27, 2014

If women dressed for the stereotypical generalization of men’s desires, we would just wear tight jeans and low-cut tank tops. Or, to paraphrase fashion designer Betsey Johnson, we would just go around naked.

OPINION | COLUMNS

President Obama’s NSA reforms don’t go far enough

Jan. 26, 2014

After months of criticism regarding the National Security Agency’s data collection program, last week, President Barack Obama announced changes to the program. No longer will the NSA be allowed to collect phone records of average citizens as it currently does in its never-ending quest to seek out the bad guys who threaten the United States.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Temps decrease, masturbation increases

Jan. 26, 2014

Temperatures have dropped and so have our pants, apparently. With the cold weather, one method of staying warm has increased: masturbation.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Online quizzes often reveal personal truths

Jan. 23, 2014

Quiz. The four-letter word alone is enough to fill a classroom with panic. But flash “quiz” across the screen anytime I’m on the Internet, and my eyes light up.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Nearly a year later, no resolution for Syria

Jan. 23, 2014

On Wednesday, delegates from 30 countries met in Switzerland for the Geneva II conference in a desperate effort to create a solution for the chaos in Syria.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Death penalty is rife with inconsistencies

Jan. 22, 2014

Dennis McGuire took 25 minutes to die on an execution table in Ohio on Thursday.

OPINION | COLUMNS

College students: It’s time to start studying for good credit

Jan. 21, 2014

It’s no secret that college graduates are facing an uphill battle these days, unless you have an in-demand major such as accounting, engineering or computer science — in which case, you’re set.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Too little civil rights progress

Jan. 21, 2014

This week, we celebrated the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr., the most well-known and important leader of the American civil rights movement. King sought to use the power of nonviolent protest and his unparalleled oratorical skills to promote social and political equality for all Americans, regardless of race, color or economic status.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Entrepreneurs in Gainesville prove that idealism earns jobs

Jan. 21, 2014

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and Gainesville’s own Grooveshark co-founder Josh Greenberg addressed an auditorium full of UF millennials last week. The talk touched on the Internet, entrepreneurship and failure.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Selfies: It’s OK to be vain

Jan. 20, 2014

As with any new trend, the Internet has had strong opinions about the subject of selfies. Many people argue that they are conceited, the evidence of our self-centered generation. The word “selfies” even sounds like “selfish.” But these judgments are practically archaic.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Science and religion can coexist

Jan. 20, 2014

Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinions, but not his or her own facts. Nearly 33 percent of the American population — and yes, we are talking 2014 here — does not believe in evolution.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Celebrate life by not fearing death

Jan. 20, 2014

Although Woody Allen’s quip, “I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work; I want to achieve immortality through not dying,” is famous, the best line about death comes from British entertainer Bob Monkhouse: “I want to die like my father, peacefully in his sleep, not screaming and terrified, like his passengers.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

With recent legislation, women’s rights in danger

Jan. 16, 2014

We are told the right to have an abortion was given to us by female-friendly politicians and a liberal Supreme Court, but that’s just not true.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Breaking up is hard to do — but it doesn’t have to be that way

Jan. 16, 2014

It’s 7 a.m. on a Sunday, and you feel like your heart is going to burst.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Taylor Swift resurrects concert business

Jan. 16, 2014

If you broke my life down into a series of fun facts, one of the first five would have something to do with loving the music and the persona of Taylor Swift. I think she’s really great.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Victim-blaming ignores race, poverty ties

Jan. 15, 2014

A black, single mother works two jobs to make ends meet.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Gov. Rick Scott’s Christie-headlined fundraisers yet another questionable antic

Jan. 14, 2014

The political news of the last few days has been dominated by details of a scandal involving senior members of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s Republican administration. Recently uncovered emails revealed a plot among senior members of the governor’s staff to cause major traffic jams in Fort Lee.