Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Be thankful, stay true to yourself and keep the faith

Nov. 20, 2016

It’s almost time for a break! This is exciting. Time to eat your body weight in stuffing, watch some football and then fall asleep on the floor at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving is also a time for family, which excites most people I talk to. However, this year more than any other, I’ve heard people sigh with dread when I bring up Thanksgiving. I ask why they feel this way, and it has been the same answer every time.

OPINION | COLUMNS

On the true Democratic powers of liberal media

Nov. 17, 2016

Ever since the advent of national news outlets in America, the country’s mass media has almost universally been more liberal. Those who are more Republican have accepted this as fact, using this as a go-to line whenever debating someone of the opposite party. This election season, however, has revealed the true severity of the media’s political leaning, and Republicans have finally, after decades of tolerating this as an unwavering feature of the culture, begun to say “no more.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

Election Day is over, but the fight goes on: Don't give up on America's progress

Nov. 17, 2016

I feel like, on a national level, a lot of us have been moving through the stages of grief during this past week and a half. It started with us being in absolute denial that a candidate who many of us saw to be unfit had been elected. Once the initial shock subsided we were angry, outraged at the hateful reactions of extreme supporters. Some of us tried bargaining with the Electoral College as a last resort, with the hopes that maybe, just this one time, history could be rewritten and things would work out in our favor. When we realized that wasn’t possible, you could say a depression hit. It has taken a while to start moving on, but a lot of us are starting to accept the things we cannot change.

OPINION | COLUMNS

We should learn from mistakes and move forward in Trump’s America

Nov. 17, 2016

Election Day came as a shock for many of us, and very few succeeded in predicting the outcome — not the academics, intellectuals or media, and certainly not the Hillary Clinton campaign.

OPINION | COLUMNS

It's not an election hot take: Let's talk about memes and their significance

Nov. 16, 2016

Instead of doing the predictable thing and giving my hot take on the election results, which will undoubtedly echo that of people in my similar demographic, I’m going to talk about memes.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Sifting through the fragmented aftermath of the election one week later

Nov. 16, 2016

It began even before either candidate had hit the magic threshold of 270 projected electoral votes.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Hope, love and hallelujah from President Fuchs

Nov. 16, 2016

The night before my birthday, Nov. 3, I received the gift I was hoping for but didn’t expect: The Chicago Cubs won the World Series.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Regardless of the presidential election's outcome, respect is universal

Nov. 15, 2016

Since the election, we have seen some mixed responses to the results. From protest to social confrontation, the U.S. has been facing an important transitional stage. As a Latina, I have had the opportunity to experience both sides of the coin these days, from friends approaching me to offer their support and tell me they will always have my back to acquaintances stereotyping me and joking about my immigration status.

OPINION | COLUMNS

How pornography affects our perceptions of sex

Nov. 15, 2016

The summer after sixth grade I was 12 years old, and I was attending camp on weekdays while my parents were at work. This was the first time in my life I noticed the sexual features of the female body. Every day I would go to the pool, and I’d see girls wearing skimpy bikinis, outlining their breasts and showing off large patches of skin on their stomachs, legs and backs. It was during this summer that I French-kissed a girl for the first time. She was one year older than me, she had curly blond hair and her cheeks were peppered with acne. We made out by the vending machines at a bowling alley the camp took us to.

OPINION | COLUMNS

It's empowering to see fashion, technology coming together to support women

Nov. 15, 2016

The “Unleash your Creativity Through Technology” tour brought a multitude of women from diverse fields of study to discuss their issues with current gender inequity and how to progress toward higher education for women.

OPINION | COLUMNS

How Facebook affected voters' decisions

Nov. 14, 2016

Like many others, I had to take a break from social media in the days following the election. While I understood some prefer to sort through their emotions on a public platform, I also realized I was soaking up these feelings like an overly empathetic sponge. In the past year, social media became synonymous with the election, as each day brought new stories, poll numbers and voices to my various feeds.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Ninja Sex Party: an analysis of character-driven comedy and sexual humor

Nov. 14, 2016

I really like the comedy band Ninja Sex Party. It’s a good band. Members Dan Avidan and Brian Wecht portray the characters Danny Sexbang and Ninja Brian, respectively, and the band’s songs chronicle their adventures. These chronicles, per the name, are usually about ninjas, sex or parties, but every chronicle serves to flesh out the two characters. I’m going to rapid-fire some opinions about Ninja Sex Party and character-driven comedy, so strap in. Are you strapped in? You are? Are you in a car? You shouldn’t be reading the paper while driving. You’re in the passenger’s seat? You shouldn’t be reading the paper while denying your driving friend the very same pleasure. Feel free to read this column aloud to the driver so they may too revel in my coolness.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Dear white people: Here's what your votes taught me about this country

Nov. 13, 2016

I never had a dream wedding built-up in my mind. I didn’t plan the flavor of the frosting on my cake, even though I dreamt about eating everyone else’s food.

OPINION | COLUMNS

A note to Donald Trump from a Clinton supporter

Nov. 9, 2016

Congratulations.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The power of imagination in a child’s mind

Nov. 8, 2016

We 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 | COLUMNS

Reflection of our arguments is necessary, especially if they are published

Nov. 8, 2016

For 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 | COLUMNS

Clinton’s emails, Trump’s words aside — just vote

Nov. 6, 2016

The 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 | COLUMNS

Why vaccinations are a necessity and not a terrible idea

Nov. 6, 2016

As 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 | COLUMNS

The problem with TV news is partisan commentary

Nov. 3, 2016

On 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 | COLUMNS

False advertising: the 'No Man’s Sky' video game and consumer protection

Nov. 3, 2016

Back 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.