Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Anti-immigration activists provoke immigration crisis in Europe

Sep. 10, 2015

In the current news cycle, the issue of immigration is drawing more attention than usual. This is partly due to what is going on in our own country, namely, our upcoming presidential election. It doesn’t help that the current GOP frontrunner is the most explicitly nativist public figure since Daniel Day-Lewis’ character in "Gangs of New York."

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: A mea culpa and a teachable moment

Sep. 9, 2015

This past Tuesday, we ran a column titled “Mediocre Advice: Fair skin, bedroom advice.” The column engendered a fair amount of controversy over the columnist’s assertion “pale is better,” in response to an inquiry from a woman asking how to get a tan despite Gainesville’s rainy weather.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Kentucky clerk Kim Davis is only the beginning

Sep. 9, 2015

As noted in last week’s Darts & Laurels, a Kentucky clerk has been jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. She appealed her case all the way to the Supreme Court — who ruled this summer that marriage is a right to be enjoyed by all — and was denied an appeal. Despite being effectively ordered to do so by the highest authority of law in the U.S., she still refused to issue licenses.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the Editor 09/10/2015

Sep. 9, 2015

Dear UF Students,

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: Polarization of police politics is no excuse for violence

Sep. 8, 2015

On Sunday, two police officers in Las Vegas were shot at with a semi-automatic handgun while sitting at a stoplight. Thankfully, both officers made it out alive, with one suffering only a bullet to the hand. The suspect was apprehended, although no motive has been released to the public.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Reflection on 9/11 and terror

Sep. 8, 2015

As we take pause Friday to reflect on the horrors of terrorism and to commemorate the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, our outrage and grief are morally obliged to cross national boundaries. The tragedies of Sept. 11 provide an opportunity for us to reflect on human cruelty, as well as the role the U.S. plays on a geopolitical scale.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: Facebook browsing little more than navel-gazing

Sep. 7, 2015

Earlier this year, Forbes published an article titled "Facebook Was The One Network People Used Less In 2014." In the article, author Parmy Olson noted a worldwide decline in Facebook usage and observed that "Facebook has become more of a passive hub for underlying social connections than a place to actively share our thoughts…(people) often only check in for short periods anyway, leaving little time to do more than browse and maybe ‘like’ a photo or two."

OPINION | COLUMNS

It’s not what you’re learning, it’s how you use it

Sep. 7, 2015

The thought crossed my mind as I was reading French philosopher Michel Foucault’s "The History of Sexuality" for one of my English classes. Despite its attention-grabbing title and academic acclaim, the book was an insanely difficult read due largely to its dense jumble of terms like "tactical polyvalence" and "juridico-discursive." It was while flipping through these pages and practically giving myself a brain aneurysm that I thought to myself, "When the hell am I ever going to use this?"

OPINION | COLUMNS

Mediocre Advice: fair skin, bedroom advice

Sep. 7, 2015

Mediocre: adjective. Definition: of only moderate or ordinary quality, neither good nor bad. Language of origin: Latin, from the word mediocris. However, the French adopted this word in the 1580s in the form of mediocre, in search of a term more adequate to describe their culture. Let’s be real, the only good things the French have given to society have been crunchy, fried potato strings and those cute little bulldogs.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Guest column: Students can help preserve Paynes Prairie — here’s how

Sep. 7, 2015

Picture this: It’s Saturday morning and you desperately need a break from studying. So, you head to Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park to enjoy some fresh air and look for bison and alligators. But instead, you find industrial feedlots. And instead of the calls of sandhill cranes and hawks, you hear rifle fire and all-terrain vehicle engines from nearby hunters. The turkeys, ducks and deer you always used to see are nowhere to be found.

OPINION | DARTS LAURELS

Darts and Laurels 09/04/2015

Sep. 3, 2015

This week, like all other weeks, was a week. It had seven days, each 24 hours in length, and it probably went by far too quickly for your tastes. Like other weeks, it has a Friday, which happens to be today. On Fridays, the Alligator usually runs a piece called Darts and Laurels. By that logic, it would mean that it’s time for…

OPINION | COLUMNS

Do the right thing — pay for your porn

Sep. 3, 2015

One of my classes started the way one can only hope, with my professor saying, "This semester, we’re going to have some fun."

OPINION | COLUMNS

Whitewashing of Texas’ textbooks, the latest in conservative attempts to rewrite history

Sep. 3, 2015

The topic of public schools has always laid heavily on the hearts and minds of this country’s politically active, conservative, evangelical Christians. Conservative ire over public schools has revolved mostly around our science curriculum. But in the last year or so, these activists have fought for control over how American history is taught, with the disturbing aim of controlling the narrative of American history itself.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the Editor 09/04/2015

Sep. 3, 2015

Fellow Gators,

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: McDonald’s 24/7 breakfast menu brings about exciting changes

Sep. 2, 2015

McDonald’s: glorious American institution or Exhibit A in capitalism run amok? Regardless of one’s personal views on the fast-food giant, it is impossible to deny it does two things exceptionally well: tasty, grease-filled breakfast foods and late-night drunken snacks. Since the company’s announcement of a 24/7 breakfast menu Tuesday, those two beautiful things no longer have to be mutually exclusive.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the Editor 09/03/2015

Sep. 2, 2015

In response to Tuesday's column, "Greek life is more than just its stereotypes"

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: Gator Growl has a talent problem

Sep. 1, 2015

“The year is 2007. After debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with his album “T.I. vs. T.I.P.,” southern hip-hop star T.I. performs a triumphant set as the headlining artist at UF’s annual Gator Growl event. Backed by a strong setlist consisting of Atlanta trap classics such as “Big Things Poppin’ (Do It),” “Rubber Band Man” and “Bring Em Out,” the overwhelmingly positive response to the show not only cements T.I.’s self-proclaimed status as the “King of the South” but reaffirms Gator Growl as a top-notch event that brings consistently exciting, relevant artists to The Swamp.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

The Perils of the Corporatization of Education

Sep. 1, 2015

Last week I discovered that my alma mater, Florida State University, had blocked me from commenting on any of its social media websites. This meant anything posted by its official Facebook page, writing on its wall or commenting on photos posted by the school’s official Instagram account. As far as I understand it, this occurred because I had exercised my rights and been critical of the school and the image it attempts to maintain in social media.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The MTV Video Music Awards: Do they even really matter?

Sep. 1, 2015

So, the MTV Video Music Awards happened.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Guest Column: Access Party calls on students to join party in Fall 2015 Student Government elections

Sep. 1, 2015

My name is Kalyani Hawaldar, and I am your Access Party President. The beginning of September means the start of football season, but it also means the beginning of another Student Government election cycle.