opinion - The Independent Florida Alligator

Opinion

Column: Linguistic poverty can be a luxury

Mar. 27, 2016

A French girl studying to become a translator told me, “It’s easier to do some things in a foreign language, and it’s harder to do other things. It’s harder to be intimate, and it’s easier to get men.” In German and English, she didn’t have a pre-constructed barrier against men; she was less inhibited because she didn’t have the habit of inhibition. “I’ve always had to break up in English,” I told her, “but I sure do get pretty when I stop speaking it.” We laughed and clinked our beers.

Opinion

Guest column: The Affordable Care Act - good for America

Mar. 27, 2016

This month marks the sixth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Since its passage in 2010, more than 20 million people have signed up for affordable health care through healthcare.gov.

Opinion

Darts & Laurels: 03/25/2016

Mar. 24, 2016

It’s been a difficult week, readers. We’ve seen tragedies both at home and abroad, and many of us are still reeling in the aftermath. But as the saying goes: Today is a new day filled with hope and opportunity. So thank you, readers, for tuning into our optimistic look forward, our lighthearted musings, our latest segment of….

Opinion

Column: Check your food privilege before judging obesity

Mar. 24, 2016

Obesity in the U.S. is a problem. At a whopping 35 percent of U.S adults, it may even be an epidemic. While the severity of this phenomenon is undeniable, there’s a certain attitude commonly adopted toward obese people that bothers me. “Why don’t they just EAT less?” a friend once asked me, “or, like, not eat garbage? Try a salad!” She said this while pushing a grocery cart full of $3 strawberries and $5 organic lettuce.

Opinion

Column: A response to Wednesday's editorial

Mar. 24, 2016

"Aw Jesus, here too?” — was essentially my reaction to news that, Sunday night, nine officers opened fire on Robert Dentmond, a 16-year-old holding a replica rifle. Dentmond died shortly thereafter — after all, nine people shot at him.

Opinion

Guest Column: A response to President Fuchs - We are, too, making the biggest investment

Mar. 24, 2016

Dear President Fuchs,

Opinion

Column: There is a problem with college basketball

Mar. 23, 2016

With the men’s NCAA basketball tournament underway and March Madness in full swing, I thought I’d remind you if your bracket isn’t ruined by now, it will be. You know that one guy you’re friends with on Facebook who feels like he has to mention how his bracket is in the 95th percentile on ESPN.com? Yeah, his bracket is screwed as well. All of ours are.

Opinion

Editorial: In light of tragedy, we must remain vigilant

Mar. 23, 2016

Istanbul and Ankara in Turkey and, now, Brussels: three major cities devastated by terrorist attacks in the past two weeks alone, resulting in the deaths of so many innocents and leaving countless more injured. In fact, since November’s attacks in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad, hundreds of terrorist attacks claimed by groups such as the Islamic State, al-Shabbab and al-Qaeda affiliates have wreaked devastation in communities and cities across the world. These desperate times call for us to stand together in solidarity, in unity and in peace, much like the vigils and demonstrations of empathy we’ve so graciously seen in broadcasts and on our news feeds. Unfortunately, this is not all we’ve seen.

Opinion

Column: West University Avenue could be made safer

Mar. 22, 2016

West University Avenue provides us UF students with an outlet from being constantly contained on campus. Restaurants serve as alternatives to what many call “on-campus dining.” Some students make their ways to University Avenue on the weekends to relieve the stress the everyday weekday grind brings. More than anything, University Avenue is significant because it’s a walking distance escape from school, opportune for fleeting moments. But it could use some improvements, and some only require reprogramming and little bit of paint.

Opinion

Editorial: A teenager's death, a community's shortcomings

Mar. 22, 2016

Sunday’s events have left many of us here at the Alligator heavy-hearted. We’ve reported on more student deaths and tragedies this semester than we can care to count, yet 16-year-old Robert Dentmond’s death is particularly troubling for us to discuss.

Opinion

Column: Cuba is not 'opening up' to the U.S.

Mar. 22, 2016

In 1854, U.S. diplomats wrote to Secretary of State William Marcy in the Ostend Manifesto that the U.S. should try to either purchase Cuba from Spain or declare war on Spain and seize Cuba. Beginning with the tenure of Thomas Jefferson and John Quincy Adams, the U.S. tried to take possession of Cuba to extend economic control over the region and expand U.S. slave territory. As Adams declared, the acquisition of Cuba was “an object of transcendent importance to the commercial and political interests of our Union.”

Opinion

A bitter reminder: response to "Casual sex is not self-discovery or empowerment"

Mar. 22, 2016

Transphobia and slut-shaming do not make someone a better feminist. In fact, saying that the victories won by transgender people somehow undermine one’s status as a white, cisgendered woman is a severe step in the other direction.

Opinion

Column: What Obama's visit should entail

Mar. 21, 2016

The Obama administration’s foreign policy struggle with the Middle East — concerning a chaotic Libya, Saudi airstrikes and the blowback of incessant drone strikes (not you, Iran nuclear deal; keep on keeping on) — took a back seat this week to the so-far successful and front-page detente with Castro. So much so, in fact, the president’s daughters will be spending their Spring Break in Cuba.

Opinion

Column: Why don't we have a UF yearbook?

Mar. 21, 2016

To many, the thought of a school yearbook connotes images of mediocre Photoshop skills, pubescent faces on a blue background and sensationalized editorials about irrelevant varsity teams. For me, simply looking at one brings up long suppressed anxieties about collecting scrawled signatures and maintaining subjective relevancy. Yet regardless of whether those old middle and high school yearbooks instill angst or nostalgia, we can’t deny their ability to reflect the past in shocking (and often uncomfortable) clarity.

Opinion

Column: Take your insecurities and Burnham down

Mar. 21, 2016

I’m in a state of emotional distress. Let’s see how this goes.

Opinion

Editorial: Myths Un-Mythed - electability

Mar. 21, 2016

We live in a world full of myths. Never mind the tales of wizarding, wand-wielding British schoolchildren or the large, bearded serial home invader who descends into our chimneys every Christmas Eve, hoarding our good cookies and seducing our children with presents crafted through elven labor. Those aren’t myths; they’re objectively true phenomena.

Opinion

Editorial: The curious case of Benjamin (Button) Carson

Mar. 20, 2016

A little more than a week ago, the country stood in awe as former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson rose from the dead — or at least partially awoke from his constant state of slumber — to endorse Mein Drumpf as the Republican nominee. While some are caught up in whether this is a Chris Christie-like attempt at securing a vice presidency or cabinet position, we at the Alligator have taken this opportunity to look back critically at Carson’s campaign. After intensive study and research, we’ve conclusively diagnosed him with the Benjamin Carson disease.

Opinion

Column: Casual sex is not self-discovery or empowerment

Mar. 20, 2016

"There is no sexual relation.”

Opinion

Column: Accent needs to do its job

Mar. 20, 2016

According to its website, Accent Speakers Bureau, the Student Government group that brings speakers to campus, “strives to bring controversial and influential speakers to the university, with the intent of further educating the student body, outside of the classroom, on current hot topics and controversies.” If this is the group’s mission statement, Accent is clearly not doing its job.

Opinion

Column: Media still treats Sanders terribly

Mar. 20, 2016

The liberal media made up its mind a long time ago: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee. While former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s candidacy was laughable from the beginning, support for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has increased steadily. His legitimacy has increased with time. While he will never have the kind of name recognition Clinton has, Sanders’ support has grown from five-person crowds to sold-out auditoriums. Yet, this means nothing to the liberal establishment.