Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Should I stay or should I go: resisting the urge to live in Florida forever

Jan. 5, 2017

During my time on campus thus far, I have come across very few individuals who have no desire to ever leave Florida. About 97 percent of UF students come from Florida, and many of the other 3 percent have lived in Florida in the past or have close family in-state, according to Study Point, a college-admissions website. As the premier university in this wonderful state, UF’s reputation dominates all markets up and down the peninsula. However, many students entertain the thought of starting their careers elsewhere. This is completely normal, as it is natural for young people to desire new landscapes, people and environments, but the level of longing for new sights and sounds seems to vary greatly among individuals.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Nothing in life is certain but death — and ever-inflating textbook prices

Jan. 5, 2017

Like every great work of academic literature, I’ll begin with the superfluous introduction to what lies ahead.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Focus on the positives as we move into 2017

Jan. 5, 2017

I was going to write a year in review. I was going to write about how crazy 2016 was with all of the atrocities that plagued our world, from our nation’s deadliest mass shooting in Orlando to everything that has been happening in war-torn Aleppo. I was going to write about how we lost popular-culture icons every month, from David Bowie in January to Debbie Reynolds at the tail end of December, and then we had an orange one elected to be president of the U.S. in between. I could have written all about every single bad thing that happened last year. I was going to, but then I realized that by doing that, I would be focusing on only the negative things that happened.

OPINION | COLUMNS

My new-semester resolution: be present

Jan. 4, 2017

I’ll be the first to admit it. I tend to think New Year’s resolutions are a bunch of malarkey — and thank you, Joe Biden, for popularizing that expressive phrase. By Jan. 10, I’ve forgotten half the goals I’ve set for myself, and then I begin to hate the other half of the vague intentions I’ve set. (e.g. “Really, Mia? You wanted to ‘worry less’ this year? And how are you going to accomplish that?”)

OPINION | COLUMNS

Respect is for people, not ideas

Jan. 3, 2017

Let’s talk about respect. For many people, college is the first time they find themselves amid a diverse population, expected to communicate their ideas in a meaningful way. The critical exchange of ideas is how we grow, and if respect is the compass with which we navigate these interactions, I think it is vital to take a closer look.

OPINION | COLUMNS

I smoke cigarettes: A discussion about addiction

Jan. 3, 2017

The other night I was biting my nails at a party. I was trying not to step outside and bum a cigarette. It had been five days since I last smoked. I had felt proud of myself earlier in the day, but the familiar feeling of intense craving welled up the second I stepped into the dimly lit apartment. Now, one hour into the soiree, sipping my second rum and coke, I was exhausted with small talk. I didn’t want to discuss my major, my post-graduation plans or my summer internship. I grimaced at the faux-floral stink of the scented candle in the corner, downed my cocktail and stepped onto the balcony. I saw a portly guy with a scraggly brown beard puffing away at a cigarette. I tried to play it cool.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Appreciate the experiences that will later change your life

Dec. 6, 2016

I’m going to go ahead and get the sappy cliches out of the way: All good things must come to an end. The end is just the start of another beginning. Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Becoming part of something bigger than myself

Dec. 6, 2016

Two years ago, I walked into the office of the Alligator on West University Avenue to take the copy-editing test. The copy desk chief at the time sat me in a small wood-paneled office that held rows of shelves lined with tall black books: about half of the archives of a student paper that’s been around for 110 years. Thankfully, I passed that test.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Cherish the importance of journalism and its people

Dec. 6, 2016

It was here I fell in love with my craft, my college and my colleagues, and it was here I realized journalism is far from over.

OPINION | COLUMNS

‘Westworld’ and ‘Black Mirror’: when the real world mirrors science fiction

Dec. 5, 2016

I don’t recall how or why I started watching “Black Mirror” and “Westworld;” only that I began both in an attempt to distract myself from finals week and was immediately hooked. Much like my introduction to “Game of Thrones” a few years ago, as soon as I began binging these shows, I found that everyone around me was talking about them, obsessing over fan theories and expressing the discomfort these fictional worlds instilled in them. Warning: spoilers ahead.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Drop your phone; enjoy the greenery across UF's campus while you still can

Dec. 5, 2016

For many students, a typical walk to class consists of a sigh of remorse and the comfort of sweet melodies seeping through some Apple headphones. With eyes locked on the pavement below, students make their walk in straight lines, firm in their mission to avoid confrontation by any means possible.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The ideas behind UF’s Strategic Development Plan

Dec. 5, 2016

In the aftermath of many months of planning, I’m both exhausted and exhilarated.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Not all shows and franchises are meant for revivals

Dec. 4, 2016

It’s become increasingly common for reboots, remakes and sequels to be produced for films and series that were created in the recent past.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Until next time: some words of farewell for seniors, students

Dec. 4, 2016

Well, dear readers, the end is near. The end of the semester, that is. To those of you who are graduating, congratulations! I hope from the bottom of my heart that life treats you well and that you accomplish everything you hope to. To those of you who are not graduating, good luck on finals, and I’ll see you right back here on this page next year! For my last column of the year, I’d like to not focus on endings but, rather, beginnings.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Do not mourn the death of a dictator and his legacy

Dec. 1, 2016

When news of Fidel Castro’s death broke out, the reaction of the Cuban community was one of elation. Cuban-Americans danced and sang in the streets, celebrating the death of a dictator who had divided their families, forced them into exile and, in many cases, imprisoned and executed some of their closest friends and relatives.

OPINION | COLUMNS

How a virtual civil war between Reddit's leaders and The Donald tainted trust

Dec. 1, 2016

For this entire calendar year, Reddit, “the front page of the internet,” has been waging a secret war on one of its most popular and active subreddits: The Donald. Created around the time of President-elect Donald Trump’s presidential bid announcement, this community of brave souls who were courageous enough to proclaim themselves pro-Trump on a website as public as Reddit started off small, with only about 6,000 subscribers after its first six months of existence. Then, sometime around February, an inexplicable spike in subscribers was initiated and has yet to show signs of slowing down. Now with more than 300,000 subscribers, or “centipedes” as they are called on the subreddit, The Donald has become one of the most cohesive, discussion-based and meme-making subreddits in the website’s history.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Obama’s response to Castro’s death lacked empathy

Nov. 30, 2016

Fidel Castro is dead. Finally. For years, there were rumors regarding the Cuban leader’s declining health. His public appearances had become scarce since he transferred power to his brother Raúl in 2006. But late last Friday, news broke that the 90-year-old had passed away.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Reaching out or growing deep: the different ways we make and keep our friends

Nov. 30, 2016

I came home for Thanksgiving very eager to shut myself inside the house and relax; my sister came home very eager to get out of the house and see all the friends she had left behind. It’s not that I don’t have friends in my hometown. It’s just that one of them doesn’t come home for that short break, and the others I see in Gainesville anyway. I didn’t really keep in contact with all the people I was friendly with in high school. Maybe in the beginning I did, but in the end, only the really strong relationships lasted.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Presidential experience: It’s the quality, not the quantity, that counts

Nov. 29, 2016

First off: My name is Mia, and I’ll be joining the opinions section next semester as a regular columnist. I love music, politics, great food, good books, comedy and being outdoors. That’s all you need to know about me — on with the column!

OPINION | COLUMNS

I paint my nails, and my dad doesn’t like it

Nov. 29, 2016

The first time I dressed in drag, I was in the seventh grade. I was at my neighbor Elena’s house for a Halloween party, and I didn’t have a costume. Elena took me into her room and painted my nails black. Then she applied eyeliner, mascara and lipstick to my face. Finally, she put me in this tight-fitting dark-blue dress and, voila, I was in costume. I washed most of the makeup off and put on my regular clothes before coming home from the party, but I left the nail polish on. I liked the way it looked.