Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Must we let racists spoil ‘Star Wars,’ too?

Oct. 21, 2015

Most Monday nights I’m holed up in my apartment, elbow-deep in a bag of family-sized Ruffles, spending intermissions between episodes of "Roseanne" on Netflix visiting my ex-girlfriend’s Facebook page (she is so much happier than I am). But this past Monday night was time for a change, and it was the Force that guided me from the dark, damp and Dagobah-like state of my bedroom to the buzz of Mother’s Pub and Grill just a block away. You know, the Force. The thing that gives a Jedi his or her power. That energy field created by all living things. The thing that surrounds us, penetrates us and binds the galaxy together.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The real winner of last week’s debate: Anderson Cooper and the moderators

Oct. 21, 2015

While everybody was busy on social media waging a war over who did better in the Democratic debate, I was in the middle of a caffeine-filled all-nighter for a group project that prevented me from watching the debate live. However, missing out on the initial viewing of the debate proved to be an advantage, as I was able to sit down and actually take my time watching the debate over the weekend. I did not have to bother live-tweeting it or looking out for others doing it. Instead, I could pause whenever I wanted without fear of missing anything. And this capacity for reflection allowed me to realize who the real winner of the debate was: Anderson Cooper and, to a lesser extent, the rest of the moderators.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: Suicide and the stigmatization of struggle

Oct. 20, 2015

Last Wednesday, a freshman residing in North Hall decided to take his own life. As of writing, this is the only information that has been released publicly.

OPINION | COLUMNS

You may be preparing for the wrong job market

Oct. 20, 2015

Every college student is told to walk the line between chasing a passion they truly love and being realistic in the likelihood of success in those aspirations. The paradox is that many of the most popular fields to pursue are where people are predicted to not find success. Forbes ranked degrees in the arts and humanities as the worst to receive. On the other hand, jobs in statistics and computers, fields that definitely have acquired tastes, show the best projections in the coming decades in terms of employment and overall job satisfaction.

OPINION | COLUMNS

“Homeland” is a poor representation of the Middle East

Oct. 20, 2015

It recently emerged that Arab graffiti artists who had been hired to decorate the set of the Showtime program "Homeland" successfully snuck in subversive messages. These included phrases such as "Homeland is racist" and "#BlackLivesMatter." For those of you who pay attention to the world around them, this should come as no surprise.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Rainbow Rowell and the rise of fanfiction

Oct. 20, 2015

Rainbow Rowell, a young adult novelist, has managed to do something original enough to make a stir in the literary world.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: As we extend our stay in Afghanistan, the ghosts of Bush and Cheney linger

Oct. 19, 2015

Following the Sept. 11 attacks, the U.S. firmly and confidently planted itself in the Middle East beginning with Afghanistan in late 2001. At the time, there were few who would have publicly disagreed with this course of action, but then again, how could they? The nation had just been attacked on a scale that had never been seen before and has yet to be matched. We were hurt, and, perhaps more than anything else, we were scared. Not to go after the men who had hurt us so deeply would have been a decision rooted in fear and cowardice.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Conversion therapy poses threat to LGBTQ+ youth

Oct. 19, 2015

On Thursday, the U.S. government issued a report calling for an end to "ex-gay" conversion therapy. A practice devastating to LGBTQ+ children and teenagers, conversion therapies "reinforce harmful gender stereotypes and are not appropriate mental health treatments," according to a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration official.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the Editor 10/20/2015

Oct. 19, 2015

Homeless of Gainesville need help

OPINION | COLUMNS

Life is what happens while you’re on your phone

Oct. 19, 2015

I’m a people watcher. Whether it be at Midtown, Turlington or in class, you can often find me unabashedly staring at people from a stationary viewpoint — usually just watching, but occasionally taking notes. What started as a slightly creepy habit has recently been exacerbated by my independent research class, which requires me to take extensive field notes on basically anything I observe people doing. Sure, I was used to standing in a corner at any given social event and idly watching people interact. However, something about taking notes took it to a sociopathic level I wasn’t particularly comfortable with.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: A living legend came to UF, but where were the students?

Oct. 18, 2015

Last Friday, civil rights activist and living legend Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) spoke at the University Auditorium to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the landmark Voting Rights Act in 1965, as well as raise awareness about its uncertain future. The act, which was passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson following several unprovoked attacks and deaths of civil rights activists, abolished literacy tests and similar tactics aimed at keeping black Americans from voting. The act’s very existence can be traced to the efforts of Lewis and his colleagues, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and A. Philip Randolph; to have Lewis in UF’s halls is to have a giant in our midst.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Congressman Yoho embodies the American dream

Oct. 18, 2015

Last week, I decided to talk to Gainesville’s own Ted Yoho, representative for the third District. As someone who has previously worked on his campaign, I know he has a lot to say and would make for a great interviewee.

OPINION | COLUMNS

It’s not 'just a costume'

Oct. 18, 2015

This Halloween, like all Halloweens, the floodgates for offensive costumes will open. In two weeks’ time, lots of people will think it’s OK to make fun of cultures and demonstrate a complete disregard toward the historical and social context of their costume. Darkening your skin isn’t cool; it harkens back to when blackface was used for minstrel shows. Similarly, dressing as a Native American is insensitive to their culture, which was trampled on and remains largely ignored to this day. These costumes parody, rather than honor, other cultures because they act as hollow interpretations that are rooted in assumption, not actual knowledge.

OPINION | COLUMNS

A look at Europe’s refugee crisis and Italy's politics

Oct. 18, 2015

Amie Kreppel is the founding director of the Jean Monnet Center of Excellence and associate professor of political science.

OPINION | DARTS LAURELS

Darts and Laurels 10/16/2015

Oct. 15, 2015

What do you know? It’s already Oct. 16. One moment you’re a beaming freshman full of life, optimism and drive, and with the blink of an eye, you’re already a jaded, sleep-deprived, nerve-ridden upperclassman waiting to get your next coffee fix. Be careful in these upcoming weeks, and don’t let time slip through your fingers too easily. With that said, it’s time for …

OPINION | COLUMNS

Live your life and don’t treat age as a mile marker

Oct. 15, 2015

I turned 21 over the summer. It was bittersweet: The luxury of being able to buy beer was offset by a deluge of anxieties about my future. Was I doing the right thing? What should I have been doing? Was I where I was supposed to be at 21?

OPINION | COLUMNS

Don’t just 'save the ta-tas' — let's save lives

Oct. 15, 2015

Tuesday was No Bra Day, which would normally be my favorite public holiday. An excuse to ditch the confinement of underwire? Sign me up.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Israel: False equivalencies, poor arguments

Oct. 15, 2015

On Tuesday afternoon, I was regrettably introduced to an article written by The Wall Street Journal columnist Bret Stephens, a column so repugnant it left a nausea in me that has yet to go away.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: The reality of Israel is more complex than many realize

Oct. 14, 2015

Tuesday afternoon, Israeli officials deployed soldiers and military checkpoints around its cities in a preventative measure aimed at reducing the number of attacks — mostly stabbings — that have ravaged Israeli civilians in the last few weeks. According to the Red Crescent, 30 Palestinians have been killed and 4,200 wounded in the violence of the last few weeks. In contrast, seven Israelis have been killed and 99 wounded, according to the Red Cross.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Gun control reform is muddled by spin zones

Oct. 14, 2015

Last week, presidential candidate and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson made a string of comments on the shooting in Oregon. One of Dr. Carson’s claims was if the Jews in Nazi Germany had been armed, then Hitler’s plans for the Holocaust would have been greatly diminished. This line of inane rhetoric is nothing new, with many in the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other gun lobby groups citing this ill-thought-out hypothetical for several years.