Opinion | Columns

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Toys don’t have a specific gender, so stop assuming differently

I clearly remember being little and sitting in my booster seat, staring out the car window contemplating which Happy Meal toy I wanted. It was the hardest decision a little kid my age would have had to face, and I was in agony. On one hand, I could have gotten a Polly Pocket (don’t get me wrong, Polly Pockets are fun), but my other choice was a Hot Wheels racer. My gut led me toward the Hot Wheels. “We’ll go with the Hot Wheels,” my dad told the person working the drive-through. “Okay, so a boy toy,” she replied. “Sure, my daughter would like the Hot Wheels,” my dad said.

Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, but recovery efforts are still ongoing

Here’s a topic you probably haven’t seen in the news in a little while: Puerto Rico. As many of you know, this U.S. territory was hit by the devastating category 5 Hurricane Maria in September 2017. Despite over a year passing since Maria made landfall, the island of Puerto Rico is still dealing with the effects of the storm and the muddled response to the crisis.

The mid-semester crisis is an epidemic

We all know about midlife crises. For those of you who understand the struggle people face when confronting the issue of time constantly moving, the idea of the midlife crisis may haunt you. You ask questions of yourself: Am I doing enough? What have I done with the time I’ve used? How much time did I waste?

Love at first sight may not be just a myth

I cry every single time I watch “Up.” Carl and Ellie’s heartwarming love at first sight story just gets me, and their tragic end really opens the floodgates. This idea of love is cheesy and a little overused. I don’t even care that Hallmark movies use the same love at first sight storyline, though, because it never gets old. I love watching those corny films because I just want an instant, all-encompassing love to exist. I want it so bad that I have genuine faith in love at first sight. Don’t get me wrong I don’t think it’s the only way to find love. Quite the contrary, I think it’s rarely the way people meet their spouses. I do believe, however, that this kind of love is out there, and some lucky people find their partners that way.

I wasn't attracted to my partner anymore. This is how I dealt with it.

A few years ago, I found myself in a messy situation. I had been dating a guy for two months, and he clearly wanted to take the relationship to the next level. Although our personalities meshed well and I enjoyed being around him, something wasn’t right. I didn’t know what it was until one day he leaned in to kiss me, and I leaned away. At that point I realized I was attracted to his personality, not him. I broke up with him and like any person with a conscience, I felt horrible.

Dating in college isn't as common as you think

As Valentine’s Day looms, a lot of us find ourselves fending off feelings of distress, frustration and loneliness. It’s not hard to be single the other 11 months of the year, but February offers a unique blow to the self-esteem of lonely hearts everywhere.

Valentine’s Day should be about love, not gifts

As a kid, filling out the “to” and “from” section of small cardboard Valentine’s Day cards from CVS gave me a rush. The best part was folding the piece of paper in half and diligently attaching the heart sticker to keep the card from revealing the sender. Those little Valentine’s Day cards told my classmates I cared and made my third-grade heart happy. But now I am much older and barely any wiser, and I realize that 1) the “rush” was probably from sugar and 2) we spend way too much money on Valentine’s Day.

Young women must stop seeking male validation

Part of young adulthood is marked by a craving for intimacy and acceptance. You can see people forming connections, romantic or otherwise, anywhere on a college campus. Couples sit together in the library and new people strike up conversation in Midtown. It’s common to want to make new connections. But too often, there is a lot of emphasis on gaining validation from people whose validations are not particularly remarkable. This is especially common among young women who are seeking validation from men.

An open letter on the trials of fitness

The gym can be best described as difficult to enter and easy to leave. However, the benefits of the resulting strength and self-confidence you work for within the walls of Southwest Recreation Center or Student Recreation & Fitness Center follow you long after you leave.

Conversion therapy must be banned in Alachua County

Gay rights have made tremendous strides in the past decade with gay marriage legalized as of 2015’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision and states banning discrimination based on sexual orientation. However, one issue still haunts the LGBTQ+ community: conversion therapy.

Show bingers beware: Spoiling is on the rise and it needs to stop

I am a victim of a spoiler. In an interview before the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Angela Bassett and husband Courtney B. Vance revealed details about the second “Black Panther” movie. The actors got too excited and decided to drop spoilers. Herein lies the issue: My unexpecting ears weren’t prepared to hear this information.

Krishna Lunch is the perfect cure for a bad day

The first article I ever published for The Independent Florida Alligator was a comedic piece about where to study around campus. One of the places I suggested going to was Plaza of the Americas, and I stand by this statement. It’s still where I eat and study most weekdays. I spend most of my waking hours on Plaza because Krishna Lunch has become a staple in my diet. No, seriously. I eat it all. the. time. And that’s saying something because I am an extraordinarily finicky eater.

21 Savage’s detainment is a window into US immigration

Anyone who has ever dealt with the U.S. immigration system is likely to label the process long, challenging and sometimes discouraging.

Local LGBTQ advocate discusses problems with the recent transgender military ban

College isn’t only for education. It’s where we build a community.

Nonlinear shows are creating a new age of TV, and I can't stop watching them

Television shows are Mad Libs to me. I turn on a cable TV show, sit there and try to finish the character’s sentences, fully aware that I am the worst type of person to watch TV with. Correctly guessing the ending to a show can be so satisfying. Nothing is as fulfilling as saying out loud exactly what a television character says with the same timing and beat. But on the other hand, when I am wrong, the results are devastating — yet so humbling.

The truth lies in shades of gray

City plastic ban is admirable, but there are better ways to reduce plastics

Talking trash about your professor won’t get you that A

In the wake of the statistics exam came a slew of angry messages. It was another test that hundreds of students spent hours studying for, starting early in the day and ending late in the night. The material wasn’t meant to be easy, but many felt that it wasn’t meant to be so hard.

Scholarships aren't as rare as you think

The topic of scholarships is often tied to large-scale economic problems and all of that complicated, serious mess. But this discussion of scholarships will not be attempting to slip Marx and Engels into your ideology like a sugar cube into a cup of tea.