OPINION
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EDITORIALS
Don’t abandon our future
Nov. 9, 2016“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” – Thomas Jefferson
Opinion
OPINION
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COLUMNS
The power of imagination in a child’s mind
Nov. 8, 2016We all have our own worlds inside our minds. The amount of creativity and imagination on this subconscious realm allows us to figure out things in our daily lives, cope with complicated situations and even dissipate the adversity of the moment. The subconscious actually helps us cope with issues, confront our problems and understand the real world outside our front doors every morning.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Reflection of our arguments is necessary, especially if they are published
Nov. 8, 2016For the past two Wednesdays, Scott Stinson wrote coupled columns titled “Secular self-reflection is necessary” in which he replied to an editorial written by the Alligator’s editorial board titled “Religious self-reflection is necessary.” Stinson remarks that Mr. Editorial’s article bases its argument on multiple empty assumptions. While Stinson is right to critique Mr. Editorial’s assumptions, Stinson’s arguments need critique as well.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Clinton’s emails, Trump’s words aside — just vote
Nov. 6, 2016The Clinton name comes with strong connotations of scandal, and this past week just added to it with the latest email snafu about Huma Abedin’s emails being on Anthony Weiner’s computer. Even if there was no criminal activity, the announcement of an investigation so close to Election Day creates doubt. Although Election Day is tomorrow, these scandals will linger long after, perhaps throughout a Hillary Clinton presidency.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Why vaccinations are a necessity and not a terrible idea
Nov. 6, 2016As we all know, ‘tis the season. I’m not talking about Christmas season, but that is fast-approaching. Are you ready? I know I’m not. Anyway, I digress. It is certainly election season, and fewer than 48 hours after this is published, we will know who will be our president for the next four years. That is equally cool as it is terrifying. Good luck, America. Again, I kid. I am talking about flu season.
OPINION
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EDITORIALS
Darts & Laurels: November 4, 2016
Nov. 3, 2016You’re sitting in the driver’s seat of your ol’ beat-up Chevy, parked at the edge of the hill overlooking the city. He’s looking as gorgeous as ever, illuminated by the twinkling lights of the town. “The city looks beautiful from here,” you whisper to him “but not as beautiful as you.” You lean in for the kiss, and he meets you there. “I’ve never done this before,” he giggles nervously as he crawls into the back seat. “Yeah, me neither,” you whisper to yourself as you turn around and look at him. He’s smiling, waving one finger your way, silently telling you to join him. You’re about to crawl back there, but you spot a copy of the Alligator on your dashboard. “Not tonight,” you say to the guy you love, who’s been waiting a whole year for this moment. “I’ve got to read…
OPINION
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COLUMNS
The problem with TV news is partisan commentary
Nov. 3, 2016On Monday, CNN announced it would be severing ties with Donna Brazile for furnishing Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta with questions that would be asked in one of the primary debates. The emails, which were provided by a WikiLeaks email dump, reveal that Brazile sent Podesta emails describing almost verbatim some of the questions Clinton would receive. While Brazile was initially hired by CNN specifically to be a Democratic strategist, her actions were, as her CNN colleague Jake Tapper put it, “journalistically horrifying.”
OPINION
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COLUMNS
False advertising: the 'No Man’s Sky' video game and consumer protection
Nov. 3, 2016Back in 2015, Sean Murray, the head developer and mastermind behind the video game “No Man’s Sky,” appeared on the late-night programs of Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert to promote a game that was very far from being finished. Then, after multiple delays, the supposedly “completed” game was released in August, only to be bombarded with poor reviews and intense criticism.
OPINION
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EDITORIALS
In the riptides of ranch
Nov. 2, 2016While we do live in an age of nostalgia, dear reader, there are some points of our childhoods that are best left untouched. If you’re a grown man and you bring a glove to a baseball game, we need to talk. If you put ketchup on your eggs, perhaps it would be best not to eat eggs in the first place. Most notably, if you dip your pizza into ranch dressing, please go find a hole somewhere on campus — there are plenty with the construction going on — and sit in it until you are ready to recognize the error of your ways.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
The NFL struggles to deal with domestic violence
Nov. 2, 2016The NFL has a problem on its hands.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
What high-school sex ed really needs to add: a discussion about consent
Nov. 2, 2016My high-school sex education was brief and to the point. “Don’t have sex, or you will suffer severe psychological and physical trauma” was the main message, hammered to the point with vivid pictures of STDs and a video where some edgy teen discussed his misadventures with sex in very forced slang dialogue. The add-on point was “If you are being physically abused by your partner, here’s a hotline you can call.”
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Solitude in a world filled with billions of people
Nov. 1, 2016This weekend, I had the pleasure to find that the band The Last Shadow Puppets covered a Leonard Cohen song titled “Is This What You Wanted.” This song talks about a breakup and how the separation has affected one of the two people. The part that immediately resonated with me was the verse that goes: “You defied your solitude/I came through alone.”
OPINION
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COLUMNS
From your Student Body president: events for Civic Engagement Week
Nov. 1, 2016Hello Gators,
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Secular self-reflection is necessary for every single human being, part two
Nov. 1, 2016Last week I discussed at length a column that appeared in the Alligator entitled “Religious self-reflection is necessary,” in which the author (whom I will call Mr. Editorial, as the author was unnamed) took the position that the world’s religions need to come to an understanding of the social context they were born out of. I’m paraphrasing his words, but he argued we have morally progressed since the founding of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. As an example of this progression, Mr. Editorial highlighted the instance of a British Muslim school teaching its young girls that being beaten by one’s husband is morally permissible, using this to show religions need reform and need to morally improve. It is this idea of moral progression that I want to flesh out in this column.
OPINION
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EDITORIALS
We are only as strong as our weakest link
Oct. 31, 2016On Monday, our editorial covered a very touchy topic. We decided to evaluate how a beloved TV show, “Bob’s Burgers,” was able to create a genuinely funny autistic character. It flirted with notions of comedic permissibility and how to identify that thin line between funny and disrespectful.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Halloween and the carnivalesque: defying expectations for one day a year
Oct. 31, 2016For as long as I can remember, I have touted October as my favorite month and Halloween as my favorite holiday. There wasn’t a defining moment where I decided this was the case, yet this fact has remained a minor facet of my identity I often analyze around this time of year. Perhaps it came about as a result of my adoration for vampires, horror films and sinister folklore, because Halloween allowed my otherwise-bizarre fascination to be cool for just one day. Or maybe it was because of my incessant desire to subvert the social norms of my suburban South Florida environment, as Halloween gave me a parent-approved outlet to do so.
OPINION
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EDITORIALS
Tina Belcher and confrontational comedy
Oct. 30, 2016Perhaps one of the greatest challenges a humorist must face is making jokes on topics that are extremely personal. In times of heightened sensitivity, this challenge only becomes more difficult. Although jokes about things people can’t change are always dangerous territory for comedians, there’s one show on television right now that confronts autism in a way that is delicate, respectful and downright hilarious.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Appreciate single parents, because mothers and fathers can do it on their own
Oct. 30, 2016Melvin Henderson felt like a failure as a parent each time he had to wait outside of a public restroom.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Sharing your thoughts and opinions is much better than stifling others’
Oct. 30, 2016This week, a thing is going to happen: We are going to choose our new president. Let’s take a moment to talk about the gravity of that last statement. We are going to choose our new president. Who are we to be making this decision? We’re just people. However, we live in a society in which we’ve been gifted with the privilege to elect our own leader. Although we are certainly allowed to complain about our choices and be dissatisfied, let’s not forget how truly amazing this concept is.
