Opinion | Editorials - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | EDITORIALS

With SG elections in full swing, voting is more important than ever

Sep. 28, 2015

t is universally agreed that democracy is a cornerstone of American values. By most accounts, it is the raison d’être for our country’s existence. The concepts which fall under democratic ideals, such as the freedom of choice and freedom of speech, have fundamentally shaped this nation’s political culture and social mores.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Alligator endorsement: Access Party

Sep. 27, 2015

In the past, UF Student Government elections have been marked by how relatively uneventful they were. This changed with Access Party’s victory last Spring and has only been compounded by the emergence of the Impact Party — and the maybe-not-so-coincidental dissolving of the Swamp Party — this semester. The tension in the air has been palpable and a frequent topic of discussion in both the Alligator office and campus at large.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: Wesleyan, free speech and the state of modern American liberalism

Sep. 23, 2015

This past Tuesday, Wesleyan University’s student newspaper, "The Wesleyan Argus," published an opinion piece titled "Why Black Lives Matter Isn’t What You Think." In it, the author postulates that while the BLM movement has noble intentions, it has had the unfortunate side effect of creating a hostile and violent environment for law enforcement. The piece draws a direct correlation between the recent murders of police officers and the proliferation of BLM’s ideals.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial | Despite absurdity, ‘Pig-gate’ speaks to major concerns

Sep. 22, 2015

In 2004, future presidential candidate and most influential musical artist of the aughts Kanye West rapped, "The people highest up got the lowest self-esteem; The prettiest people do the ugliest things, for the road to riches and diamond rings."

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial | Emmys? More like smellys

Sep. 21, 2015

Ah yes, publicly broadcast award shows: A beautiful opportunity for those in the entertainment industry to pat themselves on the back for a job well done while simultaneously failing to recognize actual meaningful contributions to their respective mediums. The airing of the 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards this past Sunday meant it was television’s turn to take part in this time-honored tradition of circle jerking and manufactured accolades — although, shout-out to Viola Davis for the historic win of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role in "How to Get Away With Murder." As predicted by outlets such as the L.A. Times and Time Magazine, the Academy opted to award Emmys based on popularity, rather than merit.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial | Mastering your domain and discipline in the 21st century

Sep. 20, 2015

In "The Contest," one of the most famous episodes of "Seinfeld," the foursome of Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer wager a contest among one another to see who can refrain from masturbating the longest. The contest hinges on the respective honesty and discipline of each contestant; naturally Kramer is the first to go, having given into temptation after seeing his attractive neighbor (across the street) strut across her apartment naked.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: Arrest of student part of a worrying trend

Sep. 16, 2015

Wednesday, global news outlets and social media feeds were inundated with the plight of Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old boy from Irving, Texas. Mohamed, a Muslim, was arrested, handcuffed and removed from MacArthur High School by police officers after he brought in a clock he made to show his engineering teacher. Another teacher, who asked to see what Mohamed had in his backpack after hearing the clock beep in class, interpreted the wire-laden device to be a threat. The teacher reported Mohamed to school officials, after which the arrest occurred.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: Although a time-honored tradition, cramming is counterproductive

Sep. 15, 2015

lthough it feels like it was only yesterday many of us migrated back to Gainesville to begin yet another Fall semester, we are now in our fourth week of classes. In college, the passage of time is accompanied by both the accumulation of knowledge and the piling up of assignments, both of which are indicators that, yes, exams are right around the corner.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial | While climate change is here to stay, deniers need to go away

Sep. 14, 2015

In 2006, former U.S. vice president and one-time presidential nominee Al Gore released a documentary and book called "An Inconvenient Truth." Both the film and the book framed climate change as the result of man-made greenhouse gases, all delivered by Gore’s amazing ability to make a PowerPoint presentation compelling. Although climate change has been studied since at least the 1930s, the success of Gore’s documentary propelled climate change to the forefront of people’s minds.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial | Hangovers over the ages: Drinking responsibly in college

Sep. 13, 2015

Hangovers. A considerable portion of students here in Gainesville get them, and those who do are intimately familiar with what they entail: the premature awakenings brought about by intense thirst at 7 a.m., the searing pain in the left hemisphere of your brain and the lingering pangs of regret that bob around in your head as you shower off the sweat from the night before.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: A mea culpa and a teachable moment

Sep. 9, 2015

This past Tuesday, we ran a column titled “Mediocre Advice: Fair skin, bedroom advice.” The column engendered a fair amount of controversy over the columnist’s assertion “pale is better,” in response to an inquiry from a woman asking how to get a tan despite Gainesville’s rainy weather.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: Polarization of police politics is no excuse for violence

Sep. 8, 2015

On Sunday, two police officers in Las Vegas were shot at with a semi-automatic handgun while sitting at a stoplight. Thankfully, both officers made it out alive, with one suffering only a bullet to the hand. The suspect was apprehended, although no motive has been released to the public.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: Facebook browsing little more than navel-gazing

Sep. 7, 2015

Earlier this year, Forbes published an article titled "Facebook Was The One Network People Used Less In 2014." In the article, author Parmy Olson noted a worldwide decline in Facebook usage and observed that "Facebook has become more of a passive hub for underlying social connections than a place to actively share our thoughts…(people) often only check in for short periods anyway, leaving little time to do more than browse and maybe ‘like’ a photo or two."

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: McDonald’s 24/7 breakfast menu brings about exciting changes

Sep. 2, 2015

McDonald’s: glorious American institution or Exhibit A in capitalism run amok? Regardless of one’s personal views on the fast-food giant, it is impossible to deny it does two things exceptionally well: tasty, grease-filled breakfast foods and late-night drunken snacks. Since the company’s announcement of a 24/7 breakfast menu Tuesday, those two beautiful things no longer have to be mutually exclusive.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: Gator Growl has a talent problem

Sep. 1, 2015

“The year is 2007. After debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with his album “T.I. vs. T.I.P.,” southern hip-hop star T.I. performs a triumphant set as the headlining artist at UF’s annual Gator Growl event. Backed by a strong setlist consisting of Atlanta trap classics such as “Big Things Poppin’ (Do It),” “Rubber Band Man” and “Bring Em Out,” the overwhelmingly positive response to the show not only cements T.I.’s self-proclaimed status as the “King of the South” but reaffirms Gator Growl as a top-notch event that brings consistently exciting, relevant artists to The Swamp.”

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: College classrooms are no place for clowning around

Aug. 31, 2015

In K-12 education, the trope of the class clown was an all-too-real one. Students, whether due to crippling insecurity or a genuine need to have their (misguided) voice heard, would interrupt the teacher and shove their sense of humor down the throats of the rest of the class. Everyone has done it at one point or another, but it was the egregious offenders who were dubbed the "class clown."

OPINION | EDITORIALS

No winners in the aftermath of Ashley Madison leaks

Aug. 30, 2015

Last Friday, Noel Biderman, CEO of Avid Life Media Inc. — the parent company of Ashley Madison — stepped down from his position. Biderman’s resignation arrived in the wake of the third wave of leaks from the extramarital-affairs website.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Yet another shooting leaves more questions than answers

Aug. 26, 2015

When we began brainstorming today’s editorial, there was every intention of writing a pleasant little column on the inability of Florida lawmakers to rectify the blatant gerrymandering that plagues Florida. But, as with so many American mornings, tragedy made it all but impossible to write anything that even remotely resembled a "pleasant" demeanor.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: Get a good night’s sleep and put your phones down

Aug. 25, 2015

A professor once told me that young men and women are biologically inclined to stay awake late into the night because we’re young, fertile and it’s our biological imperative to attempt to reproduce. It only makes sense that we would stay awake into the wee hours for reasons we can’t fully comprehend.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Despite controversy, Bernie Sanders is the best candidate for racial justice

Aug. 24, 2015

In recent weeks, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’, I-Vt., relationship with black voters has been subject to tremendous scrutiny. Thus far, two of Sanders’ appearances on the campaign trail have been hijacked by activists who self-identify as part of Black Lives Matter, a movement dedicated to raising awareness and effecting substantial change to institutional racism and the subpar treatment of black citizens in the U.S.