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Saturday, June 14, 2025

Opinion

Florida Alligator
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.

Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Home again: a week of Thanksgiving firsts and looking to the future

Nov. 28, 2016

Thanksgiving always manages to shift your perspective, creating a different effect with each visit. It can make you nostalgic, anxious or maybe just send you straight into that existential tailspin the Alligator detailed in last week’s editorial. It’s a brief reprieve from a tedious collegiate schedule and a reality check on life in the Gainesville bubble. It’s a week of compromise: with your parents promising not to pry too much about post-graduation plans and you tolerating the pageantry of the Christmas-card photo shoot in return. Despite this being my last Thanksgiving Break as an undergraduate, I experienced a variety of firsts, proving that while I grow and change, so does my home.

Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

What the frack? A look at fracking economics and why we should care

Nov. 27, 2016

You’ve probably heard of fracking before. For those of you who have not heard of it, let me provide a brief overview. Fracking is another name for hydraulic fracturing, which is a drilling technique used to extract oil or natural gas from deep underground. Right now, fracking is a hotly debated topic both environmentally and politically. Some people say it’s fine, safe and economically sustainable. Others disagree, claiming it leads to contaminated drinking water, air pollution and heightened conditions for global warming.

Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

A critique of post-election emotion and logic

Nov. 21, 2016

So two weeks have passed now, and many are still upset, surprised or ecstatic that Donald Trump has been elected the future president of the U.S. Regardless of your position, some facts need to be addressed that are eluding the discourse in this post-election environment. This is not a liberal attack on all conservatives — Trump’s campaign included — nor is this a conservative bulwark. This column is an attempt to provide depth to a disillusioned, party-conflicted, currently anger-driven discourse.

Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

On the true Democratic powers of liberal media

Nov. 17, 2016

Ever since the advent of national news outlets in America, the country’s mass media has almost universally been more liberal. Those who are more Republican have accepted this as fact, using this as a go-to line whenever debating someone of the opposite party. This election season, however, has revealed the true severity of the media’s political leaning, and Republicans have finally, after decades of tolerating this as an unwavering feature of the culture, begun to say “no more.”

Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Election Day is over, but the fight goes on: Don't give up on America's progress

Nov. 17, 2016

I feel like, on a national level, a lot of us have been moving through the stages of grief during this past week and a half. It started with us being in absolute denial that a candidate who many of us saw to be unfit had been elected. Once the initial shock subsided we were angry, outraged at the hateful reactions of extreme supporters. Some of us tried bargaining with the Electoral College as a last resort, with the hopes that maybe, just this one time, history could be rewritten and things would work out in our favor. When we realized that wasn’t possible, you could say a depression hit. It has taken a while to start moving on, but a lot of us are starting to accept the things we cannot change.

Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Editorial: Don't be a Ted Cruz

Feb. 7, 2016

Here at the Alligator, we’re often accused of being a bastion of frightful liberal bias. We like to think we’re just empathetic to the less fortunate and are willing to call current events and public figures as we see them, but hey, to each their own.

Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Parting thoughts: Here, try these on for perspective

Nov. 25, 2013

Last year, I finally gave in and scheduled the eye exam I’d put off since high school. My lens prescription needed updating, and I was tired of the bright red frames my 15-year-old self thought were cool. I was ready for some new glasses. Afterward, I engaged in the usual dance of pulling frames on and off my face a ridiculous number of times to choose a complementary pair.

Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Evolving Opinion: Educators dodge origin of life issue

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Feb. 8, 2011

A recent survey of public high school biology teachers showed they aren’t sticking to the National Research Council’s recommendations on evolution. With 28 percent of the teachers focusing only on evolution and 13 percent advocating creationism within the classroom, we’re left with 60 percent quiet and not wanting to stir up controversy by endorsing one theory over another. Let’s recap: educators are shying away from supporting the principles they’re trying to teach simply because they are dealing with a touchy subject.

Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Too Little, Too Late

By Alligator Editorial Board | Mar. 2, 2010

As of Tuesday, nearly 800 people have died as a result of the earthquake in Chile. Individuals and corporations alike are coming to the aid of victims any way they can. But it’s frustrating to watch as some mask avarice with fake generosity.

Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

‘Wasteful’ spending not always bad

By Joshua Lee | Mar. 2, 2010

As I grow older and have more things to pay for, I find that money has taken on an increased significance in my life. When I was younger, having money was never really that big of a deal. This was because it was my parent’s money and I was a greedy little candy addict. When I did have some coins and bills, it barely stayed in my pocket before I blew it on some chocolate or Twizzlers. Nowadays, I still live off my parents but have come to appreciate the almighty dollar a little bit more. However, when I hear about people blowing millions of dollars on comic books, as two anonymous buyers did for the original Superman and Batman comics last week, I am not stunned at how people can spend so much money on so little. Rather, I applaud someone for spending the money on a hobby or personal dream, as long as it does not hurt someone else.

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