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Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Opinion

Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Tuesday’s elections were not a death knell for liberalism

On Tuesday, news outlets were littered with headlines like "Liberals Are Losing the Culture Wars," "America may be in a reinforcing feedback loop of growing inequality and Republican rule" and "Houston decided it has a problem: Its LGBT nondiscrimination law." The weak attempt at humor in the last headline aside, all three of these articles were written in response to the Nov. 3 election, which was mostly concerned with local affairs and citizen initiatives. As the doom and gloom of these headlines illustrate, it was not a good day for progressive causes, which means it was an even worse day for Democratic politicians.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Ann Coulter should not speak at UF

On Monday, a fellow opinion columnist wrote about how he felt Ann Coulter should be a guest speaker on campus. While I would concede there is a need for more conservative speakers, I could not disagree more. Coulter is the last conservative speaker we need.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Maybe neither religion nor atheism is all that bad

According to a report released by the Pew Research Center on Tuesday, Americans are becoming less religious. An NPR report summarizing the findings included tidbits like "The share of Americans who say they are ‘absolutely certain’ that God exists has dropped 8 percentage points, from 71 percent to 63 percent, since 2007," and "The percentage of adults who describe themselves as ‘religiously affiliated’ has shrunk 6 points since 2007, from 83 percent to 77 percent." We could go on, but you get the idea.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

American policy of procrastination

We’ve all done it. There was some major paper to write or exam to study for that was left until the last minute. With all the time beforehand to do so, we procrastinate out of laziness, fear or even a mixture of the two. Now, a rushed essay or some crammed studying may not be such a big deal in the grand scheme of things. However, if we continue to add to a society of lazy individuals waiting to make the world a better place on a day that will never come, we will create — and have already created — very serious issues for society as a whole.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Strongly held opinions are fine, but chill with reactionary ones

From the first time the written word was translated to celluloid and up to the present, the phrase, "The book(s) was/is/are better" has long been a rallying cry for disgruntled literary fans. While there are many instances where an adaptation did justice to the source material — or in the cases of films such as "Blade Runner," "Fight Club" or "Jaws," surpassed it — there are just as many that not only failed to render the material in a compelling manner but managed to actively disrespect the original text. Films with this distinction include "Watchmen," the most recent adaptation of "The Great Gatsby" and "The Scarlet Letter."


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Islam: Is there a need for reformation?

In light of all the strife and tragedy that has emerged from the Middle East, many people look to Islam as the foremost cause of all this. Comedian and late-night talk show host Bill Maher professes quite frequently that Islam’s dogma is uniquely violent and backward. "When there’s this many bad apples, there’s something wrong with the orchard," Maher recites on his show.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Courage and the fear of movie theaters

Since my mother’s application of the Mozart effect to me in utero, I’ve come to fruition as a reasonable man in most aspects of my life. I find a symmetrical existence in the virtues of temperance, modesty and magnanimity to name a few. (I took an ethics class one time, and I own a thesaurus.)


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Editorial: Mutual respect ought to trump differences

Last week, The Atlantic published a video titled, "What Will This Era Be Remembered For?" as one part of a series of videos covering last month’s Washington Ideas Forum 2015. In the video, policy leaders such as U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro responded to the question by expressing hope that their respective areas of political interest would undergo meaningful progress.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Controversial Ann Coulter must speak at UF

I want to make my intentions perfectly clear: I want Ann Coulter, the conservative firebrand and provocateur, to speak at UF. In fact, the event should be required for everyone to attend. If a student values his or her education, listening to Coulter speak is a must.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Classroom assault highlights another discussion about race

Assaulting a student should never be a disciplinary measure, especially when the offense is as harmless as using a cellphone in school. And yet, a police officer saw it fit to flip a girl’s desk over. Police officers are meant to keep people safe, so what went wrong?


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  DARTS LAURELS

Darts and Laurels 10/30/2015

Halloween is a time when ghouls, ghosts and ghastly figures prowl the streets and mischief rules above all else. By most accounts, Oct. 31 is the spookiest day of the year. We don’t really see how that’s possible, given the third Republican debate aired on Wednesday. OH! *cue Andrew Dice Clay hand motion* With that cheap jab out of the way, it’s time for this year’s scariest edition of…


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Police violence and censoring art

Quentin Tarantino, the director of "Pulp Fiction" and "Django Unchained," is not unfamiliar with controversy. I realize this is a very I’m-20-years-old thing to say, but the man is one of the best directors out there. He took his passion for cinema and turned it into a successful career by writing and directing many of the most celebrated films of the last 25 years. His work is known for its fast-paced, witty and profane dialogue; its fantastical homages to other films and film styles (the Dirty Dozen, Spaghetti Westerns, Blaxploitation cinema) — and for his films’ often extreme violence.


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