Opinion

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Rachel Dolezal and the perpetual outrage machine

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Rachel Dolezal’s case is not just black and white

Last week, the Spokesman-Review questioned whether the president of the NAACP Spokane, Rachel Dolezal, was black. 

Jeb Bush joins an overflowing GOP pool

Jeb Bush announced his candidacy for presidency Monday. About time, if you ask us. 

It’s Le Mans weekend and the Nissan is back

So this weekend is pretty big for me. It’s race season and the mother of them all is here. People ask what type of racing I’m into and sometimes it’s hard to explain because it’s not NASCAR, Formula 1 or Indy racing.

Darts & Laurels: Of Popes and not Death

If there’s one thing most people can agree on regardless of political leanings or religious following, from bleeding heart liberals to diehard conservatives, rigid Catholics to faithless atheists, it’s that the thought of innocent children being harmed or sexually abused by their supposed protectors or mentors is a rage-inducing test of our Stand Your Ground laws.

Sports organizations need to be held responsible for punishing their athletes

The start of the Women’s World Cup raises new questions about the handling of Hope Solo’s case. Solo is the goalie for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, and she has recently been making the rounds on national media in order to redeem herself after facing domestic violence charges. 

World Cup commences despite shadow of corruption

Despite international arrests and corruption charges that rocked the FIFA world last month, the Women’s World Cup commences this week with much ado. Team USA has its work cut out for it as it faced Australia, the No. 10 ranked team in the world, and later competes against Sweden, ranked No. 5.

Caitlyn Jenner detractors need to step up

Vanity Fair’s public unveiling of Caitlyn Jenner post-operation Monday ignited a cultural debate that has since remained on the tips of most Americans’ tongues. The attention, coverage and dialogue dedicated to Jenner’s decision to pursue her transition has been extraordinary, especially when one considers how fragmented American society has become in the Internet age.

Darts and Laurels: Tales of trans and Gates

Good day, Gainesville. We hope you’ve somehow managed to stay dry during Gainesville’s temperamental weather as of late. In any event, it’s another week, another Thursday and another edition of Darts and Laurels.

95 percent of airport security fails at security

Don’t read this editorial if you enjoy the illusion of airport security being effective.

What Happens When: the Tire Pressure Light Comes On

Remember that paperback book that never leaves your glove compartment? You know, the owner’s manual? You can learn a lot by cracking it open every once in a while.

Youth need to care about American politics

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Darts and Laurels: Tales of football and gun safety

Let’s start with what’s been buzzing in the news lately. Several FIFA officials and other affiliates were recently indicted on charges of racketeering, wire fraud, money laundering and general corruption. 

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.