Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Poetry and the beauty behind shared experiences

Oct. 1, 2017

Last week, writers, readers and rhyme enthusiasts alike celebrated National Poetry Day. They shared short verses on social media and encouraged others to pick up their favorite collections. Twitter especially lit up with screenshots and quotations from poets as varied as Maya Angelou and Rupi Kaur. It made me think: Isn’t it incredible that there really is a poem out there for everyone?

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Trump does not want a united nation

Oct. 1, 2017

President Donald Trump’s job of aiding Puerto Rico in recent weeks can be described as pathetic, at best, and his public displays on the issue are nothing less than a disgrace.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Under the fig tree: Not knowing what you want in life is normal

Sep. 28, 2017

I’m going to sound like a very stereotypical college-age young woman (college-age English major specifically) and talk about the scene in Sylvia Plath's “The Bell Jar” where Esther is lying beneath a fig tree. Here, she imagines that each fig represents an imagined future — she sees a famous editor, a poet, a housewife — and she cannot make up her mind as to which fig to pluck, since choosing one means losing the rest, and then they all begin to shrivel up, and it is simply too late.

OPINION | COLUMNS

It's time to stop kneeling during the national anthem

Sep. 28, 2017

Baseball may be the American pastime, but it is no secret our football players are the ones who are treated like the real heroes. Seriously, more than 30 million viewers tune in every week to worship by screen and watch their favorite teams play on Sundays.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The 80/20 rule is a fact of life

Sep. 28, 2017

In the late 19th century, economist Vilfredo Pareto demonstrated in his first academic paper that, in his native country of Italy, 20 percent of the population owned about 80 percent of all the land. Pareto then noticed the same pattern of distribution in his garden, where he found that 20 percent of the pods contained 80 percent of the total peas. Named after Vilfredo himself, the Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule or the law of the vital few, is one of the most widely seen statistical phenomena in the world, seemingly evident on both the largest of macro levels (entire country wealth distributions) to the smallest of micro levels (amount of peas in a peapod).

OPINION | DARTS LAURELS

Darts & Laurels

Sep. 28, 2017

You finally make it back to your apartment after what feels like the longest day of your life. Between classes, meetings and your third Study Edge review of the week, you want nothing more than to plop down on the couch with a glass of wine and the fuzziest of fuzzy blankets.

OPINION | COLUMNS

If you’re going to take a stand against something, do some research first

Sep. 27, 2017

Kneeling for the national anthem is once again in vogue in America. This weekend, hundreds of NFL players took a knee to protest what they have referred to as the U.S.’s oppressive treatment of minorities after President Donald Trump raised the issue at a rally in Alabama.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Privilege is a blindfold

Sep. 26, 2017

For those victim to it, the grotesque fact of racism is difficult to overstate. In furtive glances, tightened chests and cracked bones, it asserts itself with lethal, overwhelming force.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Convenience friendships don’t cut it; you need quality friends

Sep. 26, 2017

Remember those nights in your dorm common area? All of the usual suspects from the guys’ side and the girls’ side crept out of their crowded rooms, walked down the hall and swiped their fobs. Someone ordered pizza that everyone ate. Something someone wanted to watch was playing softly on the TV. Everyone somehow fit on one couch and five chairs.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Leave your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to join a club if it’s not related to your major

Sep. 26, 2017

This semester, I promised myself I’d get out of my comfort zone for the better. Too often we find ourselves in this Monday through Friday lull where we’ve gotten used to the schedule we’ve set for ourselves, and all we do is blindly follow it. Dear readers, I hope you add some spice into your lives every once in a while, especially if that spice is adding an interesting club to your lineup.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Alligator endorsement: Inspire Party

Sep. 25, 2017

Student Government elections are here again, and the drama has come with it. So far, this election cycle has been defined by the emergence of a new minority party to go up against Impact Party — and memes. Don’t forget the memes.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Respect is earned, not given

Sep. 24, 2017

One of the first things you are taught in kindergarten is to treat others how you would like to be treated. Apparently, no one ever let our president in on the secret.

OPINION | COLUMNS

It's time to start getting involved in the things you care about

Sep. 24, 2017

As a student at UF, you probably hear the word “involvement” tossed around a lot. Every day we are bombarded with emails, Facebook event invitations and social media posts advertising opportunities for students to get involved.

OPINION | DARTS LAURELS

Darts & Laurels

Sep. 21, 2017

You’re sitting at a table in your favorite local coffee shop, sipping on an oh-so-delicious vanilla latte you’ve been craving all day. You sit there and somewhat pretentiously scribble away in your journal, pretending as though you have some sort of dark, mysterious thing going on. You hope maybe you’ll catch someone’s eye, and they’ll be enamoured by how deep you appear to be.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The airline industry needs some competition

Sep. 21, 2017

I had the opportunity to fly quite a bit this past summer, with a couple trips to New York and Boston, but mostly several trips to San Francisco to visit my girlfriend in Berkeley, California.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The longer I’m in college, the more nocturnal I become, and that's great

Sep. 21, 2017

There once was a time when I would pour my cup of coffee at the crisp hour of 7 a.m. and listen to the birds chirp. You know, the good stuff. Seriously, I had the kind of mornings shown in movies.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Feminism has to be more than a fad

Sep. 20, 2017

Step aside, Nike shorts and Chaco shoes. The must-have fashion trend this fall? Feminism. Well, kind of.

OPINION | COLUMNS

We need to stop pushing people to go to college, it's not for everyone

Sep. 19, 2017

As I wade through my last semester at UF, it has become evident that a portion of students here weren’t meant to go to college. Does that mean I think they’re not intelligent or competent? Not at all.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

In times of distress, comedy is key

Sep. 19, 2017

To put it lightly, America is going through a bit of a rough patch right now. So much so that a lot of Americans can hardly bare to watch the evening news or peruse their local paper as they sip their morning coffee.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Trump’s complacency with racism is concerning

Sep. 17, 2017

Another day, another tweet from President Donald Trump. It doesn’t quite come as a surprise to anyone anymore, does it? Our president has desensitized many of us to his cruelty and ignorance by exposing us to his repulsive words on a daily, or sometimes hourly, basis.