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Monday, February 17, 2025

Opinion | Columns

OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Diversity rises in the Winter Olympics

This year’s Winter Olympics exhibits more black athletes than we’ve seen in previous years. Not only that, but these games have smashed the stereotype that black athletes solely dominate in basketball or track and field. Black athletes represent less than 3 percent of all Winter Olympians this year; however, their increasing attendance challenges the classic image of a winter athlete.


OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Politically fueled late-night TV will not last forever

Late-night television is strange. Thirty years ago, it satiated the same need that late-night web surfing does today: mindless entertainment to help you unwind at the end of the day. Despite the exponential growth of other nightly entertainment sources, late-night shows are still chugging along.


OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Loving UF takes work, but it shouldn’t be unpaid

This time four years ago, I was taking last-minute tours of campuses across the country, and there was something that made UF’s tours different. Was it the orange and blue? Was it that classic, mid-tour Gainesville rain shower? Close, but no — I noticed UF doesn’t pay their tour guides.


OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Nothing changes after national tragedies because our media doesn’t allow it to

There was something different about the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting — something in the coverage and public response that was more emotionally raw than any other shooting aftermath. Reporters were breaking down on the scene. Social media was a slew of angst directed at the eternally inept government. Stoneman Douglas students who survived the shooting have been speaking out against gun violence with urgency — as they should — because public officials have been lacking in that department.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

A world within your headphones: Listen to podcasts

I’m addicted to Spotify. Barely a minute goes by in my waking weekday life that Spotify isn’t at least playing softly in the background, if not loudly through my earbuds on a run or through the speakers in my car. At some point, though, I started yearning for more, something in addition to music, that would expand my worldview. Enter: podcasts.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

The Olympics highlight class division in America

The Olympics, at its best, pick up the slack of politics, culture, education and everything in between. It does what these areas often fail to do: bring the many into one. It’s the simplicity and honestness of competition that does this. Either you receive a medal or you don’t, and you earn a medal by doing better than the next person. I can only wish the government were this transparent.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

The Regressive Politics of "The Bachelor"

Feminists, as well as fans of generally entertaining television, would like to thank Arie Luyendyk Jr. for two more hours of productivity each week. To be frank, his season makes many previously devoted fans cringe, and many of us just can’t watch “The Bachelor” anymore.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Inmates are people, too

Up until this past Friday, the Alachua County Jail was accepting comments and concerns about the way in which it operates and manages. Of the few government officials who submitted letters, each one had nothing but positive things to say.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Zen and the art of waiting for law-school decisions

In preparation for writing this column, I perused the internet for its most famous, most well-liked quotes about patience. Patience, I have heard time and time again, is a virtue; good things come to those who wait, so we must remain strong and persevere as the hands of life’s clock tick onward. Stand resolute, stay hopeful.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Black students face inordinate pressure from parents when deciding on colleges

On Wednesday, Jacob Copeland signed as UF’s wide receiver, and the video of the process went viral. Like most talented high-school athletes, Copeland had a handful of desirable options to choose from. His mother stood right by his side through the stressful decision until he made his choice. Upset her son didn't pick the University of Tennessee, she stormed away from the table and out of the view of the camera. The video immediately went viral through UF and the rest of the nation. The public cast shade at his mom, calling her selfish and criticizing her motherhood. Viewers believed Copeland didn't deserve to be deserted during such an important time in his life.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

It’s time for Florida to end cash bail

In our current system, the rich who are arrested quickly post bail, but those who are poor can spend extended periods of time in jail without a conviction. Our justice system must understand, while the punishment should fit the crime, cash bail disproportionately impacts poorer people, making it inherently unfair. In other words: It’s time for Florida to end cash bail.


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