Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Students should question authority

By Nick Miner | Apr. 13, 2010

Modern students are not interested in learning. They are interested in passing their tests and getting good grades. It doesn’t matter how much you know, it only matters how well you regurgitate information. Why has American education devolved to this point? One reason is the loss of American industry to foreign countries with cheap labor. This has constricted the job market, making a college degree much more important. Employers give preeminence to the institution. Thus to get into excellent schools, you have to have top grades. Yet is there also a cultural backlash against questioning authority? The 1970s saw massive student protests that played a pivotal role in our withdrawal from Vietnam.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Manufactured fear creates false reality

By Joshua Lee | Apr. 13, 2010

It’s a scary world outside. Past the comforts of my tiny, messy dorm room, danger lurks at every turn. People from foreign lands plot to wipe me and my country off the map. Even getting into a Toyota is akin to dancing with death. Or that’s at least what the media would have you believe. To me, news today has increasingly become a stream of cautionary tales and exaggerated warnings.

OPINION | COLUMNS

People are connected through empathy

Apr. 12, 2010

I try my best to remember that everybody has a story.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Democrats drop like flies in upcoming congressional election

By Brittany Fox | Apr. 11, 2010

Though I’ve never fully understood the expression, congressional Democrats are keeping true to the English idiom and dropping like flies. Most recently on the no-go list for November is Rep. Bart Stupak (of “Stupak Amendment” fame). Let’s have a walk down memory lane, shall we? By last December 10 House Democrats had artfully announced their early retirement. With the new year, announcements from the esteemed Senate had come in: former presidential hopeful Chris Dodd, North Dakota’s Byron Dorgan and Evan Bayh (former governor of Indiana and rumored 2008 presidential contender).

OPINION | COLUMNS

Bagram, Kandahar stops on Lame Train

By Ryan Spencer | Apr. 11, 2010

If you’ve been hearing a low rumble or seeing a faint column of smoke off in the distance, perhaps traveling in the direction of Afghanistan, be alarmed.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Student Body should be more open minded toward peers, life

By Will Penman | Apr. 11, 2010

Walking around campus last week, you may have been confused. Is it Turlington Plaza or a war zone? Is it the Reitz Union North Lawn or no man’s land? Humans vs. Zombies has invited students to see things in a different way. The Student Body has, for the most part, declined the invitation.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Americans should not forget the past

By PAUL MURTY | Apr. 8, 2010

Race relations in the United States are not perfect, nor will they ever be. Since the election of Barack Obama, the problems seem to be increasing.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Judd Apatow-style underdog movies aren’t one-size-fits-all

By Julia Tilford | Apr. 7, 2010

There’s been a recent trend in mainstream cinema that thrusts schlub guys into the spotlight. They’re normal, everyday dudes who drink, smoke pot, look like your neighbor and have lame jobs, if they have jobs at all.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Amendment Zero: solution for ‘Kongress’

Apr. 7, 2010

One of the great mysteries of our time is the paradox of state government. Every few years, each state in our great union selects the brightest and most talented descendants of privilege and sends them away to plot out the boundaries of our daily lives. Just like clockwork, these seemingly divine figures time and again fail to deliver on their promises and the effulgent nature of their haircuts.

OPINION | COLUMNS

GOP spending ironic given principles

Apr. 6, 2010

Despite being the party of fiscal responsibility, Republicans have gotten into a hot mess over their party’s spending.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Students should consider working for the federal government

Apr. 6, 2010

It’s just about that time of year again. If you are an underclassman like me, the economy is still looking down and you could use a well-paying internship or job to get you through the summer. For those UF seniors about to enter the real world, the job market is looking especially rough.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Students should take stand

By Dave Schneider | Apr. 5, 2010

I was standing on Turlington Plaza Monday with some members of the Coalition for Justice Against Police Brutality, telling students walking by about the shooting of Kofi Adu-Brempong by the University Police Department. As we were handing out fliers for today’s protest, a girl stopped me and asked me about the incident. To no fault of her own, she said she hadn’t heard anything about it and wanted to know how UPD could possibly shoot an international student on campus.

OPINION | COLUMNS

In love, actions speak louder than words

Apr. 5, 2010

I think it’s fair to say there are few phrases in the English language that are more emotionally loaded than “I love you.” For that matter, it’s probably fair to say there are few phrases that are more regularly abused and misused than those three words.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Religion debate won’t make progress

By Ryan Spencer | Apr. 4, 2010

On Tuesday, Gainesville will get a glimpse of the increasingly popular God-concentrated argumentative cavalcade appearing in many of the auditoriums across the country and the world, the local showcase the Accent speaker’s bureau has dubbed The Great Religion Debate. These loosely related, independently organized events have made celebrities out of their dialectical pugilists, among them Richard Dawkins, William Lane Craig and Shmuley Boteach, although I must admit it seems the notoriety gained from these debates is severely biased toward the atheistic side of the podium. Is it infamy more than fame, the relative lameness of their theist counterparts or simply their writing of more entertaining books? I’m sure we’ll find out.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Catholic Church targeted by media

By PAUL MURTY | Apr. 1, 2010

There’s been yet another scandal in the Catholic Church. It seems that every few years, there’s something else that comes out about a number of priests involved in pedophilic relations and a subsequent Church cover-up. Of course, the national media eats this up and has something to talk about for another week.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Monday release of iPad talk of town

By Will Penman | Apr. 1, 2010

In 2007, lines stretched for blocks so people could buy the Jesus phone. Now on Saturday, while Jesus waits for colorful streamers and the Easter bunny, Apple will release iPad, its tablet computer.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Protestors should move on

By Matt Powers | Mar. 31, 2010

Amidst all the discussion about health care reform, infamous Bush-bashing organization Answer (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism) held its annual war protest recently in Washington, D.C., to mark the seventh anniversary of the United States’ congress-approved invasion of Iraq.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Columnist starts anti-Google cult

Mar. 31, 2010

As Google and China continue their convoluted Mexican standoff across the South China Sea and our country slogs through divisive political struggles and rampant joblessness, I decided to do something proactive and start a cult.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Current wars challenge our generation

By Joshua Lee | Mar. 30, 2010

No matter your politics, as a citizen of the world and a product of history, you must recognize that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are pivotal moments in our age that will have repercussions for decades to come.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Suicides should inspire compassion

Mar. 29, 2010

Six Cornell University students have committed suicide since the start of the school year. Two of the six took their lives earlier this month.