Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Opinion: Trump, his protesters and American democracy

June 6, 2016

If you ask the average person on the street what the definition of democracy is, they will usually include answers such as “one person, one vote” and the rights of citizens. While these may be true, there is a lot more to successful democracy than just the basic definitions that are popular to the general public. Things such as rule of law and peaceful transition of power to an opponent are key in order for democracy to continue without slipping into authoritarianism.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Opinion: Children’s art embodies the understanding of ourselves and each other

June 6, 2016

One of the less “typical” courses available here at UF is titled “Harry Potter and the Holocaust.” I’ve had the privilege of taking it. While I could write a column about that class alone — send an email, and maybe I will — there’s one theme I want to ramble about this week.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Opinion: Whom does one remember on Memorial Day?

June 1, 2016

My great-grandparents fought in Syria’s army in World War I for the Allied Powers, which eventually earned them an expedited path to U.S. citizenship. This historical anecdote allows me to account for my presence in the U.S., which I can do without kissing the ground on which I was born or giving thanks my family left its homeland.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Opinion: President Obama still has six more months

June 1, 2016

If you thought of the last few accomplishments of President Barack Obama, what would come to your mind? It would probably be his visits to Cuba this past March and Japan just last week. The bottom line, though, is Obama’s past accomplishments have not been here in the U.S.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Opinion: Trump and the media smokescreen

May 30, 2016

So, let’s talk about The Donald. Let’s not talk about his obscene, blanket remarks labeling illegal immigrants as criminals bent on destroying society or the fact he thinks Islam somehow has a hatred for the U.S. that nobody else can see. Rather, let’s talk about the fact he can make his massive media attention devoid of any actual news to work to his advantage.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Opinion: Body-shaming, hypocrisy and Sriracha sauce

May 30, 2016

Like any good writer in the 21st century, the controversial topics I address are inspired directly from what I see on social media. Based on that alone, this week I was forced to decide between three things: whether Hillary Clinton’s lying habits are worse than Donald Trump’s, those one-minute cooking videos that always end with that one dude making sex noises to the image of food — “oh ye-AH!” — or some asshole at the gym again.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Memorial Day: actually remembering history

May 25, 2016

Thank you, Mr. Trump.

OPINION | COLUMNS

My weekend safari in Paynes Prairie: a look into venture capitalism

May 25, 2016

“The ethic of conservation is the explicit abnegation of man's dominion over the Earth. The lower species are here for our use. God said so: Go forth, be fruitful, multiply, and rape the planet — it's yours.” Ann Coulter

OPINION | COLUMNS

Hillary Clinton is going to face a tough election

May 23, 2016

As the election season is shifting gears into the general, with the two presumptive nominees beginning to attack each other, there is still a glaring lack of policy or anything resembling it. Last week was plagued with attack ads from both candidates in regard to each other’s history with women. It reminds me of the Mark Twain quote, “Never argue with a fool, onlookers won’t be able to tell the difference.” One of the candidates is a master of making politicians look like fools.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Restroom arguments are nothing more than illogical fear, transphobia

May 23, 2016

It was last summer when I was first confronted with the infamous controversial beast that is the unisex restroom. I was interning at an environmental research firm in the heart of Jerusalem, the holiest city on earth. The Jerusalem Municipality is the formal institution that governs the city, and, because Jerusalem houses both the people and holy sites of the three major Abrahamic religions, holy men and women serve in the local government in a variety of ways.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The influence of corporate industry undermines our new dietary guidelines

May 23, 2016

Worried about money in politics? Here’s the perfect case study.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Guest Column: The realest interview, A millennial's guide

May 18, 2016

Seeking:

OPINION | COLUMNS

Be aware, bicylists: Pedestrians need space, too

May 18, 2016

People have a lot to be aware of on a monthly basis. The lists of May go on to include older Americans, healthy vision and ultraviolet light. However, the most perplexing phenomenon to dedicate an entire month isn’t about a disease or demographic: May is National Bike Month.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The time has come for the Democratic Party to unite behind Hillary Clinton

May 16, 2016

While the Republicans’ voters have decided to nominate a bigoted, xenophobic and self-centered human being, the Democrats are ready to continue moving forward on President Obama’s progressive legacy. With the prospect of a President Trump becoming more and more real, the Democratic party needs to unite more than ever, and fast.

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.