Opinion

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Minorities not meant to be the butt of the joke

Many comedies thrive off pushing the boundaries into offensive content to get attention. “Pitch Perfect 2,” the sequel to the original “Pitch Perfect,” tells the story of an all-female a cappella group, marketing itself as a boundary-pushing, feminist movie. However, it still relies on unnecessary and out-of-place stereotypical jokes. The one Guatemalan character, Flo, functions as a first-world-problems joke in order to put the girls’ problems into perspective. She doesn’t really have her own story. Even though this may seem like a harmless joke at first, when we don’t know anything else about this character, and she serves no other function in the movie, she becomes a token minority.

Memorial Day: A time for remembrance, thanks

The Alligator often represents the voice of millennials and young college-aged men and women, and sometimes it’s said that our generation forgets the sacrifices of those before us in the name of youthful narcissism and detachment from world affairs.

'Mad Max’ perfect combo of action and feminism

As I was driving home from “Mad Max: Fury Road” last week, adrenaline still permeating my every extremity, I had to remind myself central Gainesville was not post-apocalyptic Australia and there would be little to gain from ramming my 2007 Toyota Camry into fellow drivers.

Darts and Laurels

Sometimes you must teach to learn A life’s lessons

A troop of four Cub Scouts came to the Alligator office Monday looking to get a glimpse at what goes into the day-to-day production of our newspaper.

Ask me anything: I'm a one-stop shop for any and all of your car concerns

As a public relations major, I receive a lot of questions when I talk about my time as president of the UF chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), an engineering society that designs and builds a small, Formula-style race car and competes in an international competition.

College summers and the zen of failing up

One of my favorite professors once told me that college isn’t just about learning the material of your respective occupation or future career; it’s about learning how to navigate through the everyday things life throws at you, like time management, self-discipline and managing your ambitions such that they actually become realized. His words, compounded by me recently taking “What is the Good Life” — which, let’s be real, isn’t that terrible and could actually be great with a few major refinements — have had me thinking a lot about how I’ve spent my time in college, and how I ought to be spending it moving forward.

Darts and Laurels

Most of us know North Korea from “The Interview,” its periodic nuclear weapons tests, its threats to destroy the whole world and its completely genuine reverence for a family of paunchy men in unitards. 

While competition benefits democracy, GOP’s endless number of candidates creates problems

November 2016 is more than a year away, but the Republican Party is already making the same fatal mistake it did in 2012. 

Gay marriage, SG elections and abortion protests in this Darts & Laurels

Well, this is it. Here we are, at the end of April, the end of classes — and our last day in print.

Questions never stop, but at least I found my Alligator

Let me tell you about journalism.

Working with your friends is hard, but worth it

There’s a lot that makes up a “college experience.”

The long story of having no regrets

I always take a deep breath when people ask why I do what I do. It’s a long story.

What I learned: Challenge yourself, push past the fear, and find a home

It took me three and a half years to build up the courage to step foot in the Alligator’s old, sometimes smelly, but overall homey newsroom.

Late start leads to a home found at the Alligator

Well, we’ve come full circle.

Saying goodbye to the place I fit in

Saying goodbye isn’t necessarily always hard.

Please, for sake of teens, bring condoms back to Alachua County high schools

In 2013, 47 percent of high school students reported having sexual intercourse. Furthermore, nearly one in two 12th grade students reported having had intercourse in the last three months. You and I both know that high school students have sex. Why, then, did the superintendent of Alachua County Public Schools, Dr. Owen Roberts, take a major step back for the sexual health of local youth and ban the distribution of condoms on campuses of public high schools?

Pets aren’t as easy to abandon as old furniture

The last days of school are here. Classes end Wednesday, which is the Alligator’s last day in print for the semester. It’s the cusp of Spring and Summer; only finals stand in our way.

Think twice before watching: Worldstar Hip Hop and similar media exploit race and poverty

Last year, I came home from class to find my roommate and a few of my friends glued to a laptop. “This fight comp is crazy; come see this,” my roommate said. I sat down and watched a series of brutal videos of people fighting. Some were alcohol-fueled altercations outside bars, others were neighborhood events with dozens of local spectators. 

IA series missing the positives

IA series missing the positives