Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

No man’s land: in between pro-life and pro-choice

Mar. 29, 2017

I’m not a big fan of Tomi Lahren — never have been. The 24-year-old ultra-conservative pundit from TheBlaze has made a career, if only for a few years, by belching her intentionally inflammatory opinions to arouse a like-minded right-wing audience. But last week, she finally said something of interest while appearing as a guest on “The View.”

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Why we keep falling back on remakes

Mar. 29, 2017

The top three movies in the box office last weekend were “Beauty and the Beast,” “Power Rangers” and “Kong: Skull Island.” What do they all have in common? They’re all reboots, remakes or sequels, capitalizing on the previous fame and success of their predecessors. Perhaps that’s a very cynical way to view it, but the fact is, Hollywood realized people love familiar things and are nostalgic, and that both these things mean very easy money.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

What freedom of speech really means

Mar. 28, 2017

It’s a popular pastime nowadays to rant about how the U.S. is infringing upon freedom of speech. Conservatives specifically will talk about how oppressed their freedom of speech is because they feel like they cannot express their views without people criticizing them. What a lot of people fail to realize is that freedom of speech does not mean freedom to speak without repercussion: It means that the government cannot censor or restrain you. It does not mean people can’t criticize you, that your workplace cannot find your speech or actions inappropriate or that what you say won’t be subject to negative social repercussions. You have the freedom to say what you want, without the government regulating you; other people, press, companies, celebrities and social media, however, have the freedom to react.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Don't settle for face value and stop relying on social media for your news

Mar. 28, 2017

When the president of the U.S. uses Twitter to get his message out, it’s safe to say that Twitter has become part of mainstream media consumption. With 140 characters or less, there’s a lot of room for misinterpretation or misrepresentation of the facts.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Is ‘law enforcement’ actually what we want?

Mar. 28, 2017

There has been some debate about the ethics of so-called sanctuary cities. Let’s look at one argument against non-compliance with federal law enforcement and whether it holds up.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

The terrorism Trump doesn’t see

Mar. 27, 2017

Two days before a knife-wielding assailant killed three people and injured 40 in an attack outside the houses of Parliament, a second act of terrorism went largely under the radar — and it happened in the heart of the US.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Don’t be ashamed of your cheap taste; cherish it

Mar. 27, 2017

In my time at this university, I’ve found the college experience often presents a fascinating intersection of tastes. Some of us consider ourselves full-blown adults, while others lean more towards an “adult-lite” classification, resulting in a hilariously wide variety of hedonistic preferences.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Why fictional shows like anime can be a source of inspiration in our lives

Mar. 27, 2017

I’ve always been an anime fan, and I’ve never been too keen on hiding it. That’s not to say I go around wearing metal head covers or writing names in my black journal, but if anyone asks me, I’m never shy. In fact, it hypes me up. I love talking about new anime or what will happen in the next episodes of unfinished shows. However, what I want to talk about today is not which anime I think are worth watching, but how I got into anime, and why you should, too.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Why it's ridiculous to slash funding from the National Endowment for the Arts

Mar. 26, 2017

Let’s think about what the figure 0.00003 percent means. Imagine taking a test with 1,000 questions on it and getting three questions correct. That’s pretty awful, right? It’s bad enough you only got three questions right, but at least you got something. Now imagine you got three questions right, but then you wanted to retake it. You were hoping to get maybe four or five right this time. Nothing too crazy, but a small improvement would be nice. Instead, you get the test back to see you didn’t get any questions right. Out of 1,000, not even one. Think about this, but instead imagine you didn’t take a test at all. Imagine you are a government agency relying on funding, and you only receive 0.00003 percent of the budget. Then imagine your portion is out of your control, but you hoped maybe you could at least keep your tiny, tiny slice of the pie. Instead, you discover you’ve been eliminated completely.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The importance of a generation of problem solvers

Mar. 26, 2017

Last Thursday, standing among more than 100 fellow students and poster boards at UF’s Undergraduate Research Symposium, I presented my research project, which aimed to understand and evaluate Common Core — the guidelines that have helped shape our current educational system. Across from me, one student explained her research on autism. Across the room, another expounded on her analysis of French literature. All throughout the vast ballroom we had populated with our projects, images of microscopic cell scans and medical illustrations bumped up against statistical analyses and comparative charts: A metaphorical handshake between the science, technology, engineering and mathematics field and the humanities came to life.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Let them play golf

Mar. 26, 2017

We’re all familiar with the infamous Marie Antoinette line, “Let them eat cake,” but for those not familiar with the story, it goes something like this: While lounging on cushions in a lavishly decorated French Rococo parlor room, the then-queen of France was approached by an adviser who exclaimed that the common people of France had no bread to eat. To that, Marie Antoinette replied with, “Let them eat cake!”

OPINION | COLUMNS

We need to stop acting like college is the only road to success in life

Mar. 23, 2017

College is great. Where else can individuals pursue knowledge and interests while inhabiting society’s most intellectual environments? How lucky are we as a country to have so many options for higher education, as well as opportunities to make it happen? Many could argue the university is one of society’s greatest achievements, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is for everyone.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Focus on sports detrimental to UF competitiveness

Mar. 23, 2017

Ninety-three thousand fans thunder; ESPN cameras litter the sidelines, broadcasting the game to millions more; white, blue and orange Tebow jerseys, Polos and Gator football shirts pepper the crowd like a UF seasoning.

OPINION | DARTS LAURELS

Darts & Laurels - March 24, 2017

Mar. 23, 2017

Gainesville does not like to do things halfway, and allergy season is no exception. If you’re one of the lucky few who suffer from seasonal allergies, you are probably familiar with this time of year. If you’re a freshman who did not realize just how potent the pollen levels in Gainesville get, well, you live, you learn, you buy 10 packs of tissues at a time from P.O.D. Market. But hang in there allergy sufferers — only a few more weeks until the air is full of moisture and heat instead of pollen! Meanwhile, tune in to this week’s recap of non-pollen related news with...

OPINION | COLUMNS

People in positions of power need to be held to a much higher standard

Mar. 23, 2017

As the great Hannah Montana once said, “Nobody’s perfect.” This lyrical statement rings true to college students across the nation. We use it as a justification for everything from sleeping through our early morning lecture classes to drinking a little too much at the bars. We all screw up sometimes because really, nobody is perfect.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Stop trying to turn international attacks into personal ones

Mar. 22, 2017

A gruesome attack happened in London on Wednesday, leaving five dead and dozens more injured. It is a horrible, tragic event that occurred, despite increased security measures throughout Europe in the recent years. There’s a lot to take in. In the past two or three years, Europe has been struck by frequent terror attacks. The strategy behind this one — using a vehicle and then a knife to attack law enforcement officers — is described by the British security service as a “marauding attack,” something they have been preparing for. The British officers were able to stop the attacker, and Scotland Yard is now working on protecting the city as well as investigating the attack as a whole.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

To the perfectionists: it’s okay to take a break

Mar. 21, 2017

It’s that time of the semester that makes or breaks us. Final projects are piling up, midterm grades are in — final exams around the corner. It’s that lull before the storm; just a few weeks from finals, just a few weeks from the ultimate deadlines, just a few weeks before we can’t drop a class, just a few weeks before we register for classes. We were pulled into a sense of false security over Spring Break, but now it’s time to kick ourselves into action.

OPINION | COLUMNS

After World Poetry Day, Alligator Staff Share Stanzas

Mar. 21, 2017

Boots

OPINION | COLUMNS

The importance of stories and delving into fantasy, fiction

Mar. 21, 2017

I have become more aware of a family trait whenever I or my brother return home after a month or two of being away: We really enjoy reminiscing. All four of us enjoy reaching into our past experiences for a good story that makes our audience crumble with laughter. We can do this for hours. And it matters little whether the story has been told or retold, as long as it is told with enthusiasm and it entertains. There are times when we become so lost in this activity that we don’t leave the dinner table until an hour or two after we had finished eating.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Spend less on walls, more on education

Mar. 20, 2017

The proposed Trump budget is not new news anymore, it’s been out for about a week now. There’s been plenty of debate — backlash, support, a satire column that was accidentally retweeted by White House Officials. Now, it comes as no surprise that we’re not exactly fans of this budget, but we’re going to address a common criticism that those who do support the budget cuts often bring up: How is the government going to get all this money to support all these programs that were cut?