Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Don’t oppress those who are different from you

May 29, 2017

History is written into our education, and it cannot be erased — I’m looking at you, “Old Joe” supporters. White privilege is taught, and that’s not just in the U.S. I’m half white — my mother is the last generation in her Portuguese family. But racists, white supremacists or really any other person who doesn’t ask wouldn’t know that. I wear my colors proudly, and I have consequently been taught from birth that this skin color defines me.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Don’t use social media to let terrorists win

May 29, 2017

The goal of terrorism is clear. Just as their name suggests, terrorists want us — those living in the free world — to live in a state of constant terror. They want us to question whether it’s safe to do things like travel, go to work or go to a concert. The simple liberties we take for granted each day are what they are after.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Will impeaching Trump change anything?

May 24, 2017

It’s been a wild week for President Donald Trump’s administration. For the first time since Election Day, many of us received a news notification that didn’t make us feel sick to our stomachs or look into the process of becoming a Canadian citizen. The word “impeachment” flooded headlines early last week, and it filled some of our hearts with hope.

OPINION | COLUMNS

A request from UF law students, staff or graduates

May 24, 2017

Before I get into the column, there are two things I must preface: One, I’m writing this column two days in advance, so things may develop that I cannot predict; and two, I am by no means well-practiced in law. I merely did some research to satisfy my inquiries.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

The Alligator to adjust circulation starting in August

By Molly Vossler | May 23, 2017

To our readers, who never go unappreciated: As I’m sure you’re all aware, in life, change is inevitable. Every second of every day, our world is changing. The U.S., the state of Florida, the city of Gainesville and UF: all changing. For more than 100 years, we at the Independent Florida Alligator have prided ourselves in the strong connection we’ve made with the community by printing stories that you can pluck out of an orange box and hold in your hands on any given weekday in the Fall and Spring. Whether it’s delivering breaking news or colorful feature stories, we have always been there for you. That is something that will not change and never will. However, the way that community members, UF students and faculty receive and read the news is changing, and we recognize this. The pace of our world continues to quicken, and the speed at which our community consumes news is increasing as well. To better accommodate your needs, dear reader, we must make some relatively dramatic changes. And so, although the Alligator will always deliver news to our readers when they need it most, we will only print our physical paper three times a week during the Fall and Spring semesters: Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

OPINION | COLUMNS

China can’t understand the US ‘white left’

By Jack Story | May 22, 2017

Former President Barack Obama had high praise for many of the traditional adversaries of the U.S. during his eight years in office. From Cuba to Iran, Obama tried to mend past differences and bring former enemies to the negotiating table through generous rhetoric. Obama singled out one country above all others in his praise: China.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Dissectible interactions with smart men

By Karla Arboleda | May 22, 2017

I don’t mean to say the sayings included in this article are things that female, nonbinary or trans people have never said, but I think it’s important to identify the condescending language that men use to establish masculinity. “Masculine” and “feminine” are two words that have become problematic in the gender spectrum, but I’ll tackle that issue in another 600 words or so. For now, I’ll discuss the type of behavior that makes some cisgender, heterosexual men feel stronger in this incredibly heteronormative world. Behold: mansplaining.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the editor: False history

By Gordon Black | May 18, 2017

Thanks for the observant account by Romy Ellenbogen, "Controversial Princeton Holocaust historian visits UF," Alligator, online April 3, 2017, from which I quote: "As Jan Tomasz Gross addressed a crowd Sunday night, a single image was projected behind him.”

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Dear Mr. President, we deserve better

May 17, 2017

We wouldn’t exactly call it a surprise that President Donald Trump is a less than trustworthy commander in chief. His entire campaign leading up to his victory was filled with verbal falsehoods that spewed out of his mouth like pellets out of a revolver. Within a few months of his campaign, lying appeared to be second nature to the giant Cheeto vying for control of our country.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Please support the fight against global poverty

May 17, 2017

I am interning for an organization that helps alleviate global poverty called The Borgen Project. The project, according to their website, “is an innovative, national campaign that works with U.S. leaders to improve their response to the global poverty crisis.” Or, in other words, it is probably the opposite of what you’re imagining. Typical poverty relief groups are “boots on the ground” types of organizations that directly improve the living conditions of communities through physical projects, such as building wells, buildings, etc. However, The Borgen Project focuses on directly alleviating global poverty by lobbying representatives in government to vote on policies that would increase the budget for financial aid.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Finding the best playoff team to bandwagon

May 17, 2017

If you’re like the average sports fan, any leagues' playoffs are a confusing time for you. As more teams fall throughout the postseason, you find yourself not really caring about many of the matchups. Either your team has already been eliminated from the chase for this year’s championship, or you couldn’t care less about who wins. In case you find yourself in this position, I’m about to tell you exactly who you should be rooting on for the rest of this year’s NBA playoffs.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Tag yourself, I’m literally just trying

May 15, 2017

As 2017 nears its half birthday, it is only fair for people to reach a progress report-type summary of successes and failures. Society collectively established 2016 as a bad year, even though life as a whole is a photo of us with a radial blur filter. The only ones who truly decide this fate of perpetual misfortune are us.

OPINION | COLUMNS

UF must reconsider free subscriptions to The Times

May 15, 2017

Did you know being a UF student entitles you to a free, yearlong digital subscription to The New York Times?

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Are we inching closer to World War III?

May 15, 2017

There are few things more terrifying than the unknown of a nuclear war. The simple press of a button could wipe out entire countries — entire continents.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Firing Comey: A move that was long overdue

May 10, 2017

President Trump fired FBI Director Comey, a move that was long overdue

OPINION | COLUMNS

To try for a country in trouble

May 10, 2017

The phrase my mother consistently used to persuade me to clean my plate at dinner gradually became more personal as I got older and as our country started entering hysteria. That phrase was, “There are starving children out there.” These children are not those we are appropriated to believe come from charity commercials. These children take the form of my family and other oppressed people in Venezuela.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

We need to make room for tolerance in politics

May 10, 2017

Here are several topics we are constantly warned to steer clear of when meeting new people. As a general rule of thumb, it is never a smart idea to bring up the subjects of religion, money and — of course — politics. History has shown us time and time again that these are some of the most controversial matters in the world. This past year especially, politics became the crux of major issues on a national scale as well as a personal one.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Graduation should be a time of celebration, not self-deprecation

May 8, 2017

It’s that time of the year again: graduation season. Our social-media timelines are flooded with photos of painted square caps and statuses from friends raving about what an incredible journey the last four years have been.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Understand the impact your words can have

May 8, 2017

If you’ve scrolled through social media recently, you’ve probably seen references to a new television show. It’s called “13 Reasons Why.” Now, before you aggressively leap to a positive or negative reaction to those three words, hear me out. I’m not going to spoil anything other than the general premise, so if you haven’t watched the series, don’t worry about me ruining it for you.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Don’t be afraid to waste time

May 8, 2017

I have heard many times that “time” is one of those things you cannot get back. I also find myself occasionally repeating this same message when giving advice. It makes sense that time won’t be given back to you, and you should cherish it, but I feel people abuse the saying — even for the smallest of things.