Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

You cannot blame the establishment for everything

May 16, 2016

It is impossible to listen to the candidates of this election cycle without hearing mention of the “establishment,” a sort of shady organization within politics that prevents the goodwill of the people from being heard or legislation from being passed, and anyone who isn’t part of the establishment, it can be assumed, is not longed for the political world because they speak the truth on a certain issue the establishment does not want to let out.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Take a minute and breathe before you #BernieOrBust

May 16, 2016

I am an avid Bernie Sanders supporter. This is a fact you could deduce from simply spending five minutes on any social media platform of mine. When the Vermont senator came to UF in March, my friend and I were in line to see him speak before his motorcade was even in town. With the Democratic nomination getting closer and closer each day, we’ve seen a rise in niche-voter movements like the #BernieOrBust ideology. My response to this movement is simple: If you’re feeling the Bern, it’s probably not in your best interest to bust.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Technology and big change in Africa

May 11, 2016

If asked to explain what they think it is like to live in Africa, most Americans would probably formulate a perception drastically different from the unapparent reality. As a result of either minimally skimming through the “Africa” section in newspapers or forgetting about the continent altogether, many Americans would draw from their high school history classes to describe today’s Africa. This only becomes a problem when it seems it is more than just average Americans using information from decades ago, because although the possible solutions to benefit Africa have changed, policies have not.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Gentrification and “tiny houses”: big problems

May 11, 2016

I used to abhor the expression “the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” If there’s a Hell, we’re probably living in it already, and why fault people for their good intentions?

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: Trump needs to unite the Republican Party to secure the general election

May 9, 2016

Presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has a huge electoral problem looming on the horizon, and it seems he and many of his supporters either do not want to acknowledge it or would rather dismiss it as a non-issue. The problem is Trump does not seem to do well with a diverse general election constituency.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: Hello, world

May 9, 2016

Hi, everybody. My name is Zachary Lee. I’ll be one of your columnists this Summer. You can find my column here in the Alligator every Tuesday. This being my first official column (you may recognize me from some politically-charged guest columns in past semesters or some crappy satirical pieces two years ago), I feel like I should introduce myself to you. I am majoring in philosophy and minoring in sustainability studies. I like peanut butter, my roommate’s dog and the satisfying crunch of walking on dead leaves. I don’t like the beach, adult men who wear Ed Hardy clothing products or Smirnoff Ice.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Goodbye Column: To my Alligator family and our ramshackle home

Apr. 19, 2016

Goodbyes have never been my strong suit.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: Everything and nothing has changed - reuniting with old friends

Apr. 18, 2016

There’s something about the end of the Spring semester that provokes a certain type of introspection. Daily rituals, people and locations take on a deeper meaning as you assess how far you’ve come and where the hell you actually plan on going. It’s a discomforting mixture of nostalgia for another year gone by and the hesitant acknowledgement that time will continue to move at this swift pace. Everything you encounter becomes a symbol of change as friends continue to graduate and you’re left with a completely different Gainesville than the one you first encountered so long ago. In reality, these thoughts are most likely a thinly veiled attempt at procrastination, but that doesn’t make them any less profound.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: Comedy and jigsaw puzzles leave me in puzzles

Apr. 18, 2016

So, it’s my final column of the semester. I’d say it was a pleasure writing for you all, but that’d be a lie. Y’all are kind of pretentious, to be honest. It makes me uncomfortable to be around you.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Guest Column: The power of consumerism in animal welfare and social justice

Apr. 18, 2016

Animal welfare is an issue often overlooked by a vast majority of people. When consuming animal products, individuals often don’t realize the suffering and pain that results from the industry. As a society, it is important for us to understand the origins of the products we consume and to place economic pressure on companies that exhibit blatant disregard for animal suffering. Together, we have the ability to effect positive change in the industry by manipulating supply and demand, a process that has proven to be tremendously effective thus far. The recent policy shifts of the Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises are just two examples of the power consumers have to sway the policies of large corporations.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: Flex Philanthropy food drive - don’t stop there

Apr. 17, 2016

Although Wednesday is the last day of classes, it doesn’t seem long ago we were beginning the Fall semester and kicking off the school year. It may be time for students to say goodbye to a lot, but at least there is one thing we can all look forward to leaving behind: on-campus dining.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: It really is on us — consent and sexual assault

Apr. 17, 2016

"Because sex without it isn’t sex.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: Rising on-campus conservatism - my new optimism

Apr. 17, 2016

Picture this: You’re in one of your political science, history or philosophy classes. Things are going well until the professor asks a politically charged question to the class. You know you’re in the extreme ideological minority, because the professor and 98 percent of the class hold the same beliefs.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: Admitting foolishness is surprisingly adultlike

Apr. 14, 2016

I’m starting to believe maturation means admitting how truly childish you are. If there’s any part of life in which maturation occurs the most, it has to be college.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Guest Column: It all starts in UF SG - The rotting apples don't fall too far from the trees

Apr. 14, 2016

Universities are the breeding grounds of tomorrow. Here, students, faculty and staff alike immerse themselves in a culture that obsesses about our well-being. Universities are consequently a microcosmic nation in themselves, filled with pockets of people and thickets of thinkers, that so directly emulate the world around them. Said plainly: Like apples falling from trees, students don’t fall far from their countries.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: ‘Religious liberty’ and the need for dialogue

Apr. 13, 2016

These past few weeks have seen an almost unprecedented movement in state governments across the country attacking LGBTQ+ rights in one way or another. The failed Georgia and successfully passed North Carolina and Mississippi religious liberty bills have caused widespread debate and condemnation across the country. It isn’t new; the respective “bathroom” and “wedding cake” wars have been playing out in state and local governments for the past couple years and have been evermore present since the Supreme Court’s marriage equality decision last summer.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: Florida versus Gov. Rick Scott - shouting back

Apr. 13, 2016

"Floridians have been encouraged to believe that government could take care of us. But government always takes more than it gives back.” —Rick Scott, in his 2011 State of the State address.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: My satire fell flat - anybody got a spare?

Apr. 12, 2016

Satire’s funny, right? Well, it can be. Cool, let’s talk about that then. Satire provides commentary through irony — sarcasm, in most cases. And, as I’ve spouted at least twice, irony or “subversion of expectation” is the root of all comedy. Saying one thing and meaning another. Presenting one perception and juxtaposing it with the truth. How much more pretentiously can I describe it? There will always be bigger words in the dictionary; you may as well aim low in that regard.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: 'Deflategate' and draft picks: Football fanaticism can be taken too far

Apr. 12, 2016

In a lawsuit filed last Tuesday, a small group of New England Patriots fans — not the same patriots from 250 years ago — demanded the NFL return the Patriots’ first-round draft pick. The draft pick was taken from the team by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell before last season in response to the questionably deflated footballs used by the New England team in the 2015 playoffs.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: American foreign policy begets further terrorism

Apr. 11, 2016

The young couple from Mississippi detained by federal authorities in August has, among other charges, pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support for the Kim Kardashian of radical Islamic militancy: the Islamic State. The aspiring American jihadists shocked and captured the attention of Americans throughout the country.