Opinion

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Eavesdropping is natural, just make sure you’re good at it

Feb. 19, 2019

Everyone has eavesdropped. If you say you haven’t, you’re lying. Some people describe eavesdropping as something only nosy or invasive people do. I don’t agree. I often find myself in places surrounded by people: a bus, a classroom, a restaurant, a library. You name it. In these places, people talk a lot, and there are times when I can’t help but listen.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Drunk driving is one of the dumbest things you can do

Feb. 19, 2019

According to the Foundation for Alcohol Responsibility, deaths caused by drunk driving crashes have decreased by 48 percent since 1982. This is a hopeful statistic, but the nation has a way to go before the problem of drunk driving is completely eliminated. The Global Status Report on Road Safety from 2015 shows that the U.S. is the nation with the third-highest number of road accident deaths involving alcohol, behind only South Africa and Canada.

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OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Alligator endorsement: Between a human meme or past of bad posts

Feb. 17, 2019

Editor’s Note: The Alligator’s editorial board met with representatives from the Impact and Inspire parties on Friday night and Sunday afternoon. We discussed their party platforms and each candidate’s goals if they were to be elected. Our endorsement resulted from these meetings.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Hear me out. The Reitz Union is the most legit study space on campus.

Feb. 17, 2019

I understand this will come as a shock to many, but the evidence is overwhelmingly clear. Of all of the study spaces on campus where Gators can plant themselves to work on homework the Reitz Union is the most legitimate.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

The lies from my freshman year from the perspective of my senior self

Feb. 17, 2019

Istill remember every detail from the day I moved into my freshman dorm.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Toys don’t have a specific gender, so stop assuming differently

Feb. 17, 2019

I clearly remember being little and sitting in my booster seat, staring out the car window contemplating which Happy Meal toy I wanted. It was the hardest decision a little kid my age would have had to face, and I was in agony. On one hand, I could have gotten a Polly Pocket (don’t get me wrong, Polly Pockets are fun), but my other choice was a Hot Wheels racer. My gut led me toward the Hot Wheels. “We’ll go with the Hot Wheels,” my dad told the person working the drive-through. “Okay, so a boy toy,” she replied. “Sure, my daughter would like the Hot Wheels,” my dad said.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, but recovery efforts are still ongoing

Feb. 17, 2019

Here’s a topic you probably haven’t seen in the news in a little while: Puerto Rico. As many of you know, this U.S. territory was hit by the devastating category 5 Hurricane Maria in September 2017. Despite over a year passing since Maria made landfall, the island of Puerto Rico is still dealing with the effects of the storm and the muddled response to the crisis.

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OPINION  |  DARTS LAURELS

Darts and Laurels: Feb. 15, 2019

Feb. 14, 2019

It’s the day after Valentine’s Day, which means the day of love has come and gone just as quickly as that box of chocolates sitting on your dining room table. But today is even better because all things love-related are half off at Target. Were you eyeing that giant Reese’s heart-shaped candy but couldn’t possibly find a reason to buy it? Well, guess what? Today, it’s only $5 — an instant cop. This week was about showing everyone you love how much you care about them, with Galentine’s Day, Palentine’s Day and of course Valentine’s Day.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

The mid-semester crisis is an epidemic

Feb. 14, 2019

We all know about midlife crises. For those of you who understand the struggle people face when confronting the issue of time constantly moving, the idea of the midlife crisis may haunt you. You ask questions of yourself: Am I doing enough? What have I done with the time I’ve used? How much time did I waste?

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Love at first sight may not be just a myth

By Chasity Maynard | Feb. 14, 2019

I cry every single time I watch “Up.” Carl and Ellie’s heartwarming love at first sight story just gets me, and their tragic end really opens the floodgates. This idea of love is cheesy and a little overused. I don’t even care that Hallmark movies use the same love at first sight storyline, though, because it never gets old. I love watching those corny films because I just want an instant, all-encompassing love to exist. I want it so bad that I have genuine faith in love at first sight. Don’t get me wrong I don’t think it’s the only way to find love. Quite the contrary, I think it’s rarely the way people meet their spouses. I do believe, however, that this kind of love is out there, and some lucky people find their partners that way.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

I wasn't attracted to my partner anymore. This is how I dealt with it.

Feb. 14, 2019

A few years ago, I found myself in a messy situation. I had been dating a guy for two months, and he clearly wanted to take the relationship to the next level. Although our personalities meshed well and I enjoyed being around him, something wasn’t right. I didn’t know what it was until one day he leaned in to kiss me, and I leaned away. At that point I realized I was attracted to his personality, not him. I broke up with him and like any person with a conscience, I felt horrible.

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OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Face it. It’ll happen again.

Feb. 12, 2019

Despite our best efforts, life after the Parkland shooting hasn’t changed for the majority of us.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Dating in college isn't as common as you think

Feb. 12, 2019

As Valentine’s Day looms, a lot of us find ourselves fending off feelings of distress, frustration and loneliness. It’s not hard to be single the other 11 months of the year, but February offers a unique blow to the self-esteem of lonely hearts everywhere.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Valentine’s Day should be about love, not gifts

Feb. 12, 2019

As a kid, filling out the “to” and “from” section of small cardboard Valentine’s Day cards from CVS gave me a rush. The best part was folding the piece of paper in half and diligently attaching the heart sticker to keep the card from revealing the sender. Those little Valentine’s Day cards told my classmates I cared and made my third-grade heart happy. But now I am much older and barely any wiser, and I realize that 1) the “rush” was probably from sugar and 2) we spend way too much money on Valentine’s Day.

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OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the Editor: The Missteps of Ian Green

Feb. 12, 2019

It seems that our Student Body President Ian Green fundamentally misunderstands a lot of things about our Student Government and campaign climate. Ian’s most recent letter to the editor is filled with mistakes that effectively demonstrate this.

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OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the Editor: Why I did not rise

Feb. 11, 2019

Last Tuesday night during our weekly Student Government Senate meeting, I abstained from voting on a resolution to recognize the installment of Juan Guaidó as the interim president of Venezuela. Not too long after, one of my friends called me out on Facebook. Then, Student Body Vice President David Enriquez did so similarly in a letter to the editor published in The Alligator titled “Stand Up for Students.”

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OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the Editor: The Miseducation of Zachariah Chou

Feb. 10, 2019

Hey Gators! As election day at UF gets closer and closer, there is always a certain amount of negative campaigning that takes place before students vote. With that said, Zachariah Chou’s mischaracterization of his record and criticisms of Student Government go a step too far.

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OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

The 2020 election is breaking records already

Feb. 10, 2019

American women received the right to vote in 1920, and exactly 100 years later, the 2020 election is breaking records for women. Sen. Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota became the sixth Democratic woman to put in her bid for the Democratic presidential nominee when she announced her candidacy on Sunday. She follows Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren, along with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and author Marianne Williamson. Collectively, they’re making this upcoming presidential race the first in history to have that many women running at one time for the Democratic presidential nomination.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Young women must stop seeking male validation

Feb. 10, 2019

Part of young adulthood is marked by a craving for intimacy and acceptance. You can see people forming connections, romantic or otherwise, anywhere on a college campus. Couples sit together in the library and new people strike up conversation in Midtown. It’s common to want to make new connections. But too often, there is a lot of emphasis on gaining validation from people whose validations are not particularly remarkable. This is especially common among young women who are seeking validation from men.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

An open letter on the trials of fitness

Feb. 10, 2019

The gym can be best described as difficult to enter and easy to leave. However, the benefits of the resulting strength and self-confidence you work for within the walls of Southwest Recreation Center or Student Recreation & Fitness Center follow you long after you leave.