Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

A follow-up about ‘freedom’

By Stephan Chamberlin | July 2, 2018

A reader’s comment got me thinking about what it means to have individual freedom. It made me consider why I feel comfortable harshly criticizing the country I love so much. Here’s my reply, point-by-point. The main thrust of it is we can’t afford to think we’re on top of the world. We are a great country, but we got here through constant improvement, not arrogant complacency.

OPINION | COLUMNS

To Florida Summers

By Sophie Feinberg | June 20, 2018

I was born and raised in Miami. The first time I left for more than a few weeks was to go to Gainesville.

OPINION | COLUMNS

To Florida summers

By Sophie Feinberg | June 20, 2018

I was born and raised in Miami. The first time I left for more than a few weeks was to go to Gainesville.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The New York City Subway is a microcosm of America

By Layla Soboh | June 20, 2018

New York City is a place of glimmering lights and shiny buildings that demand your attention.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Stop 'Twitter-canceling' people and let them learn from mistakes

By Layla Soboh | June 18, 2018

“You’re canceled” is an internet death sentence. Twitter users have been given a powerful tool, and they are using it irresponsibly. The concept of going viral on the internet gives every user hope that one day, if they tweet often and clever enough, they too can win the retweet lottery. If the Twitter community and their infinite wisdom decide that your tweet makes the cut, your tweet can have an audience as wide as former President Barack Obama’s. Even if it’s only for 280 characters, you get to be slightly famous, and your tweet is seen by everyone who doesn’t live under a rock. I believe public opinion is dangerously susceptible to influence people from just a handful of viral tweets. A thread shaming a public figure can end their career.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Why drink decaf if it’s just bean water?

By Stephan Chamberlin | June 11, 2018

An open letter to all citizens of coffee-land who drink decaf: I do not understand you. I recognize the merits of coffee as a drink — its aroma, its flavors, its warmth as it hits your tongue. The small stains it leaves around the rim of your mug. The brown crop circle it leaves on your desk is endearing — its repose as a hazel-colored halo on what is likely meaningless desk paperwork. But for me, its main benefit is its ability to focus me on the task at hand. Coffee just doesn’t taste good enough to drink without the drug: caffeine.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Problem solving and originality lead to great innovation

By Layla Soboh | June 11, 2018

As one of the 1,149 students currently enrolled in UF’s Innovation Academy (IA), I spend a lot of time thinking about innovation and entrepreneurship. Almost every 21st century company claims to be “innovative” or seeks “innovative employees.” This makes UF’s minor in innovation through IA attractive to students looking to have a competitive edge in the job market. Since we are now living in a knowledge and internet economy rather than a manufacturing one, the only way to create distinguished products that can compete for market share is to innovate. Most people know this, but they aren’t sure how to go about it.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Hurricanes teach us preparedness and appreciation

By Sophie Feinberg | June 11, 2018

Hurricanes teach us preparedness and appreciation

OPINION | COLUMNS

Indifference on taboo topics is a public problem

By Layla Soboh | June 6, 2018

“I was raised sex, politics and religion aren't party talk.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

Senate shenanigans

By Zachariah Chou | June 6, 2018

A couple of pretty important and interesting things happened this past Student Senate meeting, and I feel it’d be pretty helpful to mention them in tandem with whatever The Alligator reporter writes about the meeting as well.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Darts and Laurels

June 6, 2018

The only thing worse than having to stay in Gainesville over the summer is being here while there’s a tropical storm. Regional Transit System buses are cold enough without having wet hair and wearing soaked clothes, and unpredictable bus schedules could leave you dripping with the icy shards of Mother Nature’s wrath.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Uber tips for dummies

By Stephan Chamberlin | June 6, 2018

In the ‘60s, we were thinking about the future. We thought about how we might drive flying cars, cherish our housework robots and live on freeze-dried peas like spacemen. What we didn’t predict was an app that could send a chauffeur to your house in under a minute and take you wherever you wanted, all without the need to vocalize any directions or requests.

OPINION | COLUMNS

An ode to Kate Spade

By Sophie Feinberg | June 6, 2018

On Tuesday, the world learned that Kate Spade died after taking her own life.First, I want to start by saying please reach out for help in your own way whenever you need it. You are not alone. If you need help, you can call or chat online with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or find resources on campus.Second, I want to go into the mark Spade has made on my life. As materialistic as fashion can be, Spade’s designs brought joy, whimsy and professionalism all at the same time. Her products were often out of my college price range, but I was always drawn to them.In a world where I doubted being a journalist as people told me newspapers were a dying breed, her New York Journal clutch, tote bag and tumbler assured me news was trendy, needed and appreciated. Just like the world may doubt the need for $500 purses that I don’t have, Spade’s products told their own stories and held value outside of a capitalistic society.One of her lines was an ode to books, a notebook featuring a shelf lined with books including classics “Pride and Prejudice” and “Gulliver’s Travels.”Like newspapers, her brand could be one of tradition and creativity. Spade was one of the first things I saw when I came on a UF tour as a high school senior. In the bookstore while I waited for my time to view campus, I perused the bottom level and saw Spade’s products on the shelf among other stationery, lanyards and water bottles. My mom got me a notebook that I still have saved to use for a special project, when that time comes.My first big purchase was saving up my money to buy myself a proper wallet versus a square with a money slot, a couple of card spaces and Velcro before college. Many other shoppers share a connection with Spade and their first purchase, as the Glamour article “My First Kate Spade: 12 Women on How the Designer Impacted Their Personal Style” highlights.

OPINION | COLUMNS

College is about learning how to take care of yourself

By Sophie Feinberg | June 4, 2018

College is hard. For some of us, it’s the first time we’re away from home and juggling school and duties like cooking, cleaning, going to the doctor and more. There’s no parent or guardian telling you that you’re going out too much, not sleeping enough or taking you to the doctor.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Modest fashion is the next big thing

By Layla Soboh | June 4, 2018

This May, H&M has released their first “modest” clothing collection, LTD. It comes just in time for the Muslim month of Ramadan, a holy time for Muslims around the world. H&M has not explicitly stated that cultural diversity is the target of the campaign, but they have said “we want to be diverse and inclusive to all the markets.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

First Amendment protects against tyranny better than the Second

By Stephan Chamberlin | June 4, 2018

You might know this person: he or she has a few guns, strongly supports Second Amendment rights and distrusts the government. Part of the reason they have so many guns is that the government cannot be trusted — you’ll need their armed support to combat an authoritarian and tyrannical Washington one day. Two bumper stickers are neighbors on the rear of their forward-thinking, fuel-efficient Prius. One reads, “Support the Troops,” the other, “The right to bear arms is our only protection from government tyranny.” In this day and age, that job is better done by the First Amendment than the Second.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Navigating the meme-conomy

By Stephen Chamberlin | May 30, 2018

If you spend enough time on the internet, you learn the language of memes. It’s a market-driven tongue; memes go in and out of fashion frequently. They balloon, they bubble and they burst unexpectedly. If you’re not careful, you might find yourself in a lurch, trading in low-value memes. This is as important as any college course — learning to navigate the meme economy can make or break your online presence. Irrelevance, to any self-respecting, red-blooded citizen of the internet, is a fate worse than death.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Power over paper

By Sophie Feinberg | May 30, 2018

Society is propelled by technology or a battery. Everything is faster and at your fingertips.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Lowering your expectations allows you to enjoy life more

By Layla Soboh | May 30, 2018

I’m going to paint the scene. It’s around midnight, and you’re craving a snack. You open the fridge and disappointment ensues. You close the near-empty fridge, displeased. After walking around the house, you return. This time when you open the fridge, you’re a little more honest with yourself. You’re desperate. Standards have hit rock bottom. With a renewed expectation, you finally select something. Although it may not have been your first choice, your hunger is subsided.

OPINION | COLUMNS

So about that Bright Futures Summer textbook stipend…

By Zachariah Chou | May 30, 2018

I like to get my facts straight. Part of it is five years of Speech and Debate. Another part is being a journalism major, where a fact error can automatically cut your grade in half.