Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

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.

OPINION | COLUMNS

From President Fuchs: A new path may lead to wonderful possibilities

Oct. 14, 2015

College is where you find your life passion and follow your dreams. Unfortunately, after 42 years as a university student, professor and administrator, I haven’t yet discovered my life passion, and I’m not following a dream.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Let's redefine consent to combat rape culture

Oct. 14, 2015

Last week, UF Student Government coordinated a series of events in accordance with Sexual Assault Awareness Week. Events held during the week included a panel in which survivors of sexual assault spoke of their experiences and the prevalence of the trend.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: Empathy and social media don’t mix

Oct. 13, 2015

So, Will Grier. Following the announcement that Monday’s press conference would be pushed back in order to acknowledge Grier’s suspension for violating the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s substance-abuse policy, social media was alight with memes and missives expressing disappointment and anger. While UF students worked through their grief, Florida State University students tried to spin the moment as a justification for their own former star quarterback Jameis Winston’s immoral behavior — it didn’t stick.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Columbus: the prototypical American

Oct. 13, 2015

The recent commemoration of Columbus Day, rightly rebranded to Indigenous Peoples Day by nine prominent cities in the country, provides an excellent point of reflection as to who Americans are and what exactly America is.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Politics continue to Trump common sense

Oct. 13, 2015

Somehow, these names don’t fit together: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Donald Trump. However, many polls measuring the presidential race predict Trump will soon be sitting alongside some of the greatest leaders who built this very country. So, as hundreds of thousands of Americans visit Mount Vernon and Monticello today, I have to ask: Will we be taking our children to visit the Trump Tower?

OPINION | COLUMNS

Don’t mess with Nicki Minaj

Oct. 13, 2015

Last week, celebrity profile writer Vanessa Grigoriadis interviewed rap superstar Nicki Minaj for "The New York Times" in an article titled "The Passion of Nicki Minaj." No big deal, right? Wrong.

OPINION | CARTOONS

Not all college friendships will last, and that’s OK

Oct. 12, 2015

Two years ago, in my first college psychology course, I learned about Dunbar’s number.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: Gun laws, restroom rhetoric and the cowardice of anonymity

Oct. 12, 2015

On the door of the middle stall in the first floor men’s restroom at Weimer Hall, there hangs a piece of paper. Normally we wouldn’t pay much attention to bathroom scripture, for, after all, it’s usually only good for poop jokes and hastily scrawled phone numbers that promise a "good time." Bathroom graffiti and musings are eminently disposable, an artistic outlet for those who couldn’t cut it tagging overpasses on I-95. But sometimes you see something so — if you will — shitty, so awful, you can’t help but be compelled to write about it in your college newspaper.

OPINION | COLUMNS

A US air raid, a leveled Afghan hospital and no clear answers in sight

Oct. 12, 2015

Last Wednesday marked the 14th anniversary of the U.S. war in Afghanistan. While officially as old as this year’s high school freshman class, the conflict seems to only be getting worse.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Guest Column: Pop-up culture enthralling

Oct. 12, 2015

When I came to UF two years ago, I had no plans of continuing with art because my parents made it seem like it was something that should be left behind in my childhood years.