Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Don’t cheat others, don’t cheat yourself

Oct. 16, 2016

When asked what the most infuriating thing in the world is, many potential answers come to mind. For me (and at least some others, I assume), it’s ignorance. Shocker, right? That’s why I am majoring in journalism, and that’s why I spend time each week writing things like this article to hopefully invoke some kind of thoughtful reaction to a variety of topics. Other infuriating things include people who use the 10 items or less line with more than 10 items, cut in line, eat pizza crust-first and chew with their mouths open (just writing that list made me start to twitch). However, there is one habit above all that really shouldn’t be an issue but has come to permeate our already delicate collegiate society: cheating.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Why we should resist the authoritarian temptation

Oct. 13, 2016

On Tuesday morning, Gov. Paul LePage (R-Maine), said in an interview, “we need a Donald Trump to show some authoritarian power in our country.” Not only is it unsettling for the governor of an American state to be endorsing an authoritarian form of government, but it also reveals an underlying shift in the American public — a tilt toward authoritarianism.

OPINION | COLUMNS

You do you: There’s no ‘right’ way to experience your college years

Oct. 12, 2016

There are a lot of times I think I did college wrong. This becomes especially evident as my college career slowly creeps toward a close, while my sister’s is just taking off. Because of the glorious war of sister rivalry, sometimes I can’t help but compare our freshman years. She’s been making new friends every day, working out regularly, going out every weekend and bonding with the people on her floor.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Don't ignore environmental issues

Oct. 12, 2016

Fifteen years ago, a little girl was in Washington, D.C. She was sitting in the corner of a conference room playing with Polly Pockets while her dad was in an important round table meeting with the Heritage Foundation discussing water treatment systems. She was promised that if she was as quiet as a mouse during the meeting, her dad would take her sightseeing. Oh, how she was dying to see the Lincoln Memorial.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Reflecting on death and life after graduation

Oct. 12, 2016

The halfway point of the semester is fast approaching. Midterms are near.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Stay true to yourself and your beliefs

Oct. 11, 2016

These past few weeks, I have been attending a class in which we discuss climate change. During this class, we have been exposed to data, information and public opinions on the topic. Most of the time, our professor makes us reflect on the correlation between human activities and the increase in temperature. During this time, she calls for us to think about our daily activities. I must admit, it is eye-opening and emotional to reflect on this. For a couple of hours, I sit with these ideas, and in a melancholic way I ask myself, “Are we dooming

OPINION | COLUMNS

Cheese-side down: thoughts on working a crummy job at an Italian restaurant

Oct. 11, 2016

It was the summer after my freshman year of college. I was 19 years old and staying with my parents for a couple of months before the new Fall semester rolled around. After a couple of weeks of putzing around the house, I started to receive subtle signals from my dad. He would come home from a long day of work and say something like,

OPINION | COLUMNS

Politics and religion: The truth is more complex than conservatism and liberalism

Oct. 11, 2016

The downfall of writing for the opinions section is that I only have so many accurate, or semi-accurate, opinions. There is a limit to the amount of truth I possess inside myself; the rest is pure inaccuracy. In light of this, I will nevertheless delve into politics head-first without a second thought about facts. After all, this is politics we’re talking about, the blank canvas we all feel entitled to throw our colorful opinions on. Who cares if the paint I throw looks like a 3-year-old’s attempt at drawing a pony?

OPINION | COLUMNS

The key to understanding the art you love: create

Oct. 10, 2016

Yeah, I talked about “Homestar Runner” two weeks ago. That’s fine. I’m going to talk about it again. Here I go. Let’s dance.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Hurricane Matthew: discerning between fearmongering and facts

Oct. 10, 2016

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the slew of parties and bad decisions that came about in response to Hurricane Hermine. Sure, some people stocked up on bottled water and bread in anticipation of the Category-1 storm, but the majority of us celebrated our day off with some choice beverages and friends. After all, it had been a while since the last hurricane made landfall in Florida and eons since one had caused any long-lasting damage. With Hurricane Matthew, all of that changed.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Think before you help: how intention can hinder effect

Oct. 9, 2016

With the impact of Hurricane Matthew becoming clearer each day, it’s evident Florida was spared the worst of it. It devastated Haiti. While students at UF hoped for the hurricane to cancel class and delay their exams, Haiti was washed out by the hurricane.

OPINION | COLUMNS

What's so special about Gatorship?

Oct. 9, 2016

It’s mystical. It’s magical. No, it’s not a super rare Pokemon — it’s Gatorship.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Prioritize, capitalize and enjoy: It's your time, so make it what you want.

Oct. 9, 2016

Time. What a word. Loved and hated, used as an excuse and seen as a vice. Time is difficult to fully understand. How often do we say we wish we could alter time? We make mistakes, and we wish we could go back and stop ourselves from doing so. We have something exciting coming up, and we wish we could skip everything from now until then. Why do we do this? Why can’t we just enjoy the present? Well, dear readers, probably because the present is not all that pleasant most of the time.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Why people should trust the use of antidepressants

Oct. 6, 2016

I recently saw an argument unfold on one of my friend’s Facebook statuses. The post was a combination of two images: one of a forest with writing that said, “This is an antidepressant.” The second image was of several pill packages that implied prescribed antidepressants, with writing stating the vulgar equivalent of, “This is garbage.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

A look at the music-festival craze

Oct. 6, 2016

Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, Coachella: The names sound like exotic, tribal get-togethers deep in a rainforest and, frankly, that description is not far off.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Pressure on Saudi Arabia long overdue

Oct. 6, 2016

Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which would allow families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for its alleged complicity in the terrorist attacks. President Barack Obama vetoed the bill, arguing it would not only undermine strong diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia, but it would also weaken the long-standing tradition of sovereign immunity: the legal doctrine that no foreign nation can be held responsible from civil suit of prosecution. However, the veto was overridden by an overwhelming margin — 97-1 in the Senate and 348-77 in the House.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Seeking a friend in the digital world

Oct. 5, 2016

I’m going to come out and admit something I usually only share with close friends: I role-play online. Now before you start thinking I spend time on Neopets forums, let me briefly explain the type of role-playing I do. I role-play through Tumblr. Each character I play has a different blog, and I’m part of a larger group in which each person has a handful of characters with their own blogs. When it comes to actually role-playing, it goes like this: I write a scene through my character’s perspective, then whoever I am role-playing with writes the same scene through their character’s point of view and advances it. This keeps on going until the thread finishes.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Quit clownin’ around, America: Draw a line between clown fun and clown harm

Oct. 5, 2016

Late Monday night, an angry mob assembled on the streets of Pennsylvania State University.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Comedy in a vacuum: What makes for timeless comedic entertainment?

Oct. 5, 2016

Popular culture shapes a lot of the comedy around us, obviously. Plenty of TV shows make references to current events, and plenty more harken to other decades to appeal to an older crowd. Weekly shows like “Saturday Night Live” thrive off of popular culture; it’s a show that’s stayed relevant for more than 40 years by doing so. Period pieces take the culture of a past era and convey that era to a modern audience.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Overdoing it your freshman year: reflections on casual substance abuse

Oct. 4, 2016

I was a freshman and walking to my first-ever college party. It was 9 p.m., and I approached the apartment complex slowly. I stuck my hand into the pocket of my dark-green army jacket and fiddled with the half-filled pack of Marlboro Lights with two joints pushed to the corners. I figured I should bring something to be polite, but I had no way of obtaining a bottle of wine or a six-pack of beer.