Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

We need to stop saying it’s too soon to talk about gun control

Oct. 8, 2017

I don’t like to start a column this way, but sometimes we do things we don’t like in order to think critically about the world. Imagine a large building in Gainesville burned down. Imagine the fire started by accident — a gas leak or a candle — but the flames raged out of control, and the entire structure came down. In the 24 hours following the fire, we learn that it rapidly escalated as a result of poor building codes, and we probably could have contained the fire if it had not spread so quickly.

OPINION | COLUMNS

We need to learn to disagree with others effectively

Oct. 8, 2017

We are living in a time of anger. We’re angry at the way the world looks right now. We are angry at each other for making it this way. We all have different opinions about why the world is the way it is, and we have even more opinions about how to fix it.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Gov. Scott has blame in nursing home tragedy

Oct. 6, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott has made every effort to wash his hands of the Sept. 13 South Florida nursing home tragedy, which left 12 residents dead. In my opinion, he shouldn’t absolve himself so quickly.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Patreon is a nod to the past and a jump into the future of expression

Oct. 6, 2017

The Renaissance is known as the “cultural bridge between the Middle Ages and modern history,” according to Wikipedia, with the genesis being in Florence, Italy, in the 14th century. It was a vibrant period of exploding artistic expression and impressive intellectual and philosophical exploration.

OPINION | COLUMNS

'Tolerant' college students aren't as tolerant as they might think

Oct. 3, 2017

If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a UF student, it’s that college students are not as tolerant as they claim to be. Are you surprised? I’m not. The hypocrisy of those who claim to be tolerant is stunning, and it was on full display last week after Victoria Fortier wrote a column for the Alligator titled “It’s time to stop kneeling during the national anthem.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

'Fear of missing out' is a fact of life, so let's learn to accept it

Oct. 3, 2017

You know, it’s OK if you don’t actually want to go out,” my friend told me via FaceTime while I begrudgingly highlighted my cheekbones. That night, I didn’t have to study, and I didn’t really have to catch up on sleep. I didn’t have any excuse not to go out, so I felt like I had to. I felt like I should want to. My friend is a recent graduate so I assume she must have forgotten about that inner conflict we all get when we consider going out or staying in. The former always wins. I reminded her why: College is only four years! I don’t have much longer to buy $5 triples! We’re all going to graduate and have to be adults soon!

OPINION | COLUMNS

Stop putting off applying for internships

Oct. 3, 2017

I would like to (metaphorically, of course) pull the hair of whoever came up with the concept that waiting until your last two years of college to take on internships is a good idea. Maybe this person was hoping more people would relax during their first two years or was concerned that most college freshmen don’t have the knowledge they need to intern, but I’m here to tell you that simply isn’t true.

OPINION | COLUMNS

At the end of the day, a fulfilling job is worth a lot more than money

Oct. 1, 2017

“You realize you’ll make, like, no money doing that, right?”

OPINION | COLUMNS

Protests are meant to make you uncomfortable; that's the point

Oct. 1, 2017

Does taking a knee make you uncomfortable? Good. You know what’s beyond uncomfortable? Not knowing whether the police are there to help or hurt you.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Poetry and the beauty behind shared experiences

Oct. 1, 2017

Last week, writers, readers and rhyme enthusiasts alike celebrated National Poetry Day. They shared short verses on social media and encouraged others to pick up their favorite collections. Twitter especially lit up with screenshots and quotations from poets as varied as Maya Angelou and Rupi Kaur. It made me think: Isn’t it incredible that there really is a poem out there for everyone?

OPINION | COLUMNS

Under the fig tree: Not knowing what you want in life is normal

Sep. 28, 2017

I’m going to sound like a very stereotypical college-age young woman (college-age English major specifically) and talk about the scene in Sylvia Plath's “The Bell Jar” where Esther is lying beneath a fig tree. Here, she imagines that each fig represents an imagined future — she sees a famous editor, a poet, a housewife — and she cannot make up her mind as to which fig to pluck, since choosing one means losing the rest, and then they all begin to shrivel up, and it is simply too late.

OPINION | COLUMNS

It's time to stop kneeling during the national anthem

Sep. 28, 2017

Baseball may be the American pastime, but it is no secret our football players are the ones who are treated like the real heroes. Seriously, more than 30 million viewers tune in every week to worship by screen and watch their favorite teams play on Sundays.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The 80/20 rule is a fact of life

Sep. 28, 2017

In the late 19th century, economist Vilfredo Pareto demonstrated in his first academic paper that, in his native country of Italy, 20 percent of the population owned about 80 percent of all the land. Pareto then noticed the same pattern of distribution in his garden, where he found that 20 percent of the pods contained 80 percent of the total peas. Named after Vilfredo himself, the Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule or the law of the vital few, is one of the most widely seen statistical phenomena in the world, seemingly evident on both the largest of macro levels (entire country wealth distributions) to the smallest of micro levels (amount of peas in a peapod).

OPINION | COLUMNS

If you’re going to take a stand against something, do some research first

Sep. 27, 2017

Kneeling for the national anthem is once again in vogue in America. This weekend, hundreds of NFL players took a knee to protest what they have referred to as the U.S.’s oppressive treatment of minorities after President Donald Trump raised the issue at a rally in Alabama.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Privilege is a blindfold

Sep. 26, 2017

For those victim to it, the grotesque fact of racism is difficult to overstate. In furtive glances, tightened chests and cracked bones, it asserts itself with lethal, overwhelming force.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Convenience friendships don’t cut it; you need quality friends

Sep. 26, 2017

Remember those nights in your dorm common area? All of the usual suspects from the guys’ side and the girls’ side crept out of their crowded rooms, walked down the hall and swiped their fobs. Someone ordered pizza that everyone ate. Something someone wanted to watch was playing softly on the TV. Everyone somehow fit on one couch and five chairs.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Leave your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to join a club if it’s not related to your major

Sep. 26, 2017

This semester, I promised myself I’d get out of my comfort zone for the better. Too often we find ourselves in this Monday through Friday lull where we’ve gotten used to the schedule we’ve set for ourselves, and all we do is blindly follow it. Dear readers, I hope you add some spice into your lives every once in a while, especially if that spice is adding an interesting club to your lineup.

OPINION | COLUMNS

It's time to start getting involved in the things you care about

Sep. 24, 2017

As a student at UF, you probably hear the word “involvement” tossed around a lot. Every day we are bombarded with emails, Facebook event invitations and social media posts advertising opportunities for students to get involved.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The airline industry needs some competition

Sep. 21, 2017

I had the opportunity to fly quite a bit this past summer, with a couple trips to New York and Boston, but mostly several trips to San Francisco to visit my girlfriend in Berkeley, California.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The longer I’m in college, the more nocturnal I become, and that's great

Sep. 21, 2017

There once was a time when I would pour my cup of coffee at the crisp hour of 7 a.m. and listen to the birds chirp. You know, the good stuff. Seriously, I had the kind of mornings shown in movies.