As we all reveled in Thanksgiving Break by taking endless pictures of our dogs, skillfully dodging questions about our futures and binging on relaxation, something else loomed eminent on the horizon. Interspersed among social media proclamations of being #thankful were posts of a much different nature. It was "FSU Hate Week," and there was no escape.
The possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1. The odds of an American being killed in a terrorist attack (including terrorist attacks carried out overseas) are 1 in 20 million. C-3PO enlightened us with the former cosmic fact in 1980, while The Washington Post gave us the latter just two years ago. Despite the data, more than most on the campaign trail, including plenty who hold power in Washington, D.C., vie for further increases in discretionary spending for defense and cite the threat of terrorism (specifically attacks carried out by radical jihadists) as the primary reason for this necessity.
If you had the good fortune (or misfortune, take your pick) of tuning into CNN this past weekend, there are strong odds you were treated to its advert for the upcoming Republican debate on Dec. 15.
Say what you will of the political right, but at least they are politically consistent. From the decrepit-moderate branch to the slow-people bible study group that controls the most powerful country in the world, Republicans just want to hurt people. Jeb Bush is fine with "stuff" happening to the poor and disadvantaged, and Ted Cruz needs women to suffer for their chromosomal sins. Our left doesn’t know what it wants, especially in our generation, and it only wants to point out the ideological sins of its compatriots.
In keeping with Florida’s tradition as a gun-friendly state, the Legislature is now preparing a bill that would allow concealed weapons on college campuses. Legislation like House Bill 4001 has been batted around every so often in the Florida House and Senate. For some reason or another, it always fails to become law. Now, signs indicate it might pass the chambers and actually make it to Gov. Rick Scott’s desk.
Last week, a White Student Union page was created on Facebook under UF's name. Most of the posts allege UF doesn’t have enough safe spaces for European American students whose culture is not celebrated enough. While it’s not patently clear if the page is a hoax or if it was actually created by UF students who believe such fiction, it is very apparent the page has become a hub for racist messaging and posts that stoke fear about whites as the minority.
Late Sunday evening, the Facebook feeds of many UF students became inundated with cries of outrage and disbelief over the purported existence of an exciting, new student organization: the University of Florida White Students Union! With a profile picture proudly showing off Century Tower and a cover photo showing the Founding Fathers signing the Declaration of Independence, the page for this totally real and not at all fictitious group claims on its "About" page that it represents "a place to celebrate the very beautiful European culture," and wants to "encourage you to preserve your heritage by sharing it and discussing its future."
The sexual violence on college campuses is not an issue that can be swept under the rug. Universities have served as the focal point for media coverage, awareness campaigns and congressional legislation in the discussion about sexual assault, regardless of whether they help or hinder the issue at hand. We’ve all experienced some offshoot of this, whether it was through last year’s Walk Safe program, the Interfraternity Council’s "It’s On Us" campaign or UF’s Sexual Assault Awareness month.
In light of the Charlie Hebdo shootings this past January, and the recent attacks in Paris, many have reacted by painting Islam and the Middle East as being fundamentally at odds with Western values such as free speech.
America is not and will never be a Christian nation.
For the duration of this semester, we in editorial have intentionally sidestepped any discussion of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. We’d say it’s the journalistic equivalent of ignoring the elephant in the room, but it’s been more akin to trying to cover your eyes and ears while the girl from "The Exorcist" vomits all over you and your surroundings, punctuating her invasive illness with proud recitals of racist rhetoric, stomach-churning stupidity and blatant pandering.
Politics is a rough-and-tumble business. More than that, it’s also confusing. But rest assured, dear reader, this columnist is the one-stop shop for all of your political questions and quandaries. So without delay, let’s clarify some political points your Politico friend keeps on talking about:
I remember the first time I went to UF in the winter of my senior year in high school. The red brick looked almost authentically collegiate Gothic. I remember the feeling of life beginning, one I tried to recapture during Preview weekend while driving in the snow-white blur of rain on I-75. I laughed at the billboards erected by the autochthons of my new home, who apparently still feared they might be aborted, performatively reading Schopenhauer in the stadium.
On any given Friday, this would be the space where we make a witty aside or use a semi-obscure pop-cultural reference to introduce that week’s edition of Darts & Laurels. Well, we hate to disappoint, but we have nothing of the sort this week. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. Just letters, words and sentences to fill up space until we get to the main attraction…which is Darts & Laurels. Yup.
I lived primarily off two things when I had a meal plan: Gator Dining chocolate chip cookies and unlimited pineapple.
I thought I might write something about Friday’s horrific scenes from Paris. I thought I’d write about how we could use this to take events in the Middle East seriously from a humanitarian perspective without falling into the obvious trap the Islamic State group has set for us, whereby we abandon the very multiculturalism and tolerance that has made the West a place of relative peace and security. It’s these very attitudes the huddled masses who flee ISIS’ apocalyptic cruelty yearn for. And, while writing, I could hope in vain that far-right, Eurosceptic freaks won’t ride a wave of nationalist reaction and ethnic resentment into office, dismantling the diplomatic structures that have maintained relative peace in Europe for 70 short years (not counting a genocide against Muslims in Bosnia). I would also really like it if, when vicious goons like Marine Le Pen and Nigel Farage lead their gangs into parliament halls, they wouldn’t plunge the world into a second Dark Age, complete with our very own crusades.
Earlier this year, Martin Shkreli, the CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, increased the cost of a life-saving HIV drug by about 5,000 percent. The price raised from $13.50 per pill to $750 per pill.
One would be very hard-pressed to find a UF student or Gainesville resident who doesn’t love Chick-fil-A. The juicy, delicious chicken always complemented by a duo of dill pickle chips, the diverse and flavorful sauces, the consistently crunchy and impeccably salted fries, the sweetness and perfect consistency of the strawberry milkshakes… there’s just so much to love. In a perfect world, we could spend this entire editorial extolling Chick-fil-A’s bountiful virtues.
A frequent refrain among heartbroken and sexually frustrated young men: "She doesn’t like me because I’m a nice guy." No, not really.
I love the phrase "Every Gator Matters." It expresses the value of every member of the Gator family and our care for one another.
Solutions by The State News
