Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Viral video is one-sided

Feb. 24, 2014

Venezuela is in the international spotlight because of recent violent anti-government protests, which have garnered attention through social media. This past weekend, my news feed was filled with posts sharing a video titled, “What’s going on in Venezuela in a nutshell” and hashtags like #prayforvenezuela. I was immediately reminded of the frenzy involved with KONY 2012 in which people became “experts” on Uganda overnight.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Food ignorance is not healthy bliss

Feb. 24, 2014

For decades, popular food franchises and the American food industry have fought tooth and nail while the majority of the public just sits around and watches — or eats.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Crowdfunding: How to succeed in business without really trying

Feb. 23, 2014

If the creation of the much-anticipated “Veronica Mars” movie has proven anything, it’s that people are willing to crowdfund a good idea. However, a new phenomenon arose with the advent of crowdfunding: struggling business owners taking to online fundraising websites to plead customers to help them through rough times.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Toy story: In the defense of sex toys

Feb. 23, 2014

Wednesday night I found myself licking lube off my fingers in a classroom full of people.

OPINION | COLUMNS

State legislatures are more important than Congress, so pay attention

Feb. 23, 2014

In the age of cable news, political blogs and social media, it’s easy to focus on the political news in Washington, D.C. The noise clogs the pores of all three major cable news networks and permeates throughout the front pages of newspapers until it makes its way onto the web.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Manners matter: a common courtesy guide

Feb. 20, 2014

I always get pegged as nice. When I hold the door for a stranger: nice. When I tell someone his backpack is unzipped: nice. When I inform the barista at Starbucks someone left $20 unattended on the counter: nice.

OPINION | COLUMNS

BuzzFeed, sponsored content trending

Feb. 20, 2014

Thousands of years from now, historians and archeologists will be scouring Internet archives, and they’re going to find BuzzFeed. And it’s going to be really embarrassing.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The future of Bambooville

By Elliot Larkin | Feb. 20, 2014

Bambooville, the oasis of relaxation, inspiration and nature appreciation located in the Bartram and Carr wilderness area, has been dismantled upon mandate from university administration.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Why Students Party boycotted

By Olga Rodriguez | Feb. 20, 2014

On Wednesday night, the results of the Spring 2014 Student Government election were announced, and the Students Party officially chose to boycott the presentation. My name is Olga Rodriguez, president of the Students Party, and I would like to explain why.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Swamp’s intimidation tactics are reprehensible

By Juliana Schmidt | Feb. 20, 2014

On Wednesday, I exercised my right as a UF student to vote. I wore my “I Voted” sticker as I sat eating at a table in the Reitz Union when a girl walked up to me and asked if she could have my sticker.

OPINION | COLUMNS

UF has beef, but we want bamboo

Feb. 20, 2014

Many students and faculty are outraged with UF’s harsh decision to remove the popular campus landmark Bambooville. But the university’s behavior on this matter is far from shocking.

OPINION | DARTS LAURELS

Darts & Laurels 2/21/14

Feb. 20, 2014

Now that election fervor has died down, we can all go back to walking through campus without fear of harassment — er, political canvassing. Though elections are over, it’s important now more than ever to stay informed about SG goings-on in order to hold senators and executive officers accountable for the promises they’ve made.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

UF should be a place for free —not hate — speech

Feb. 19, 2014

If you’re on Facebook, you probably saw bemused, frantic, outraged statuses about the Turlington preacher and a UF student getting into a tussle.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Plan to help homeless a step, not a solution

Feb. 19, 2014

Nine years ago, a 10-year plan to end homelessness began in Gainesville. It only takes a walk past Bo Diddley Community Plaza downtown to see how well that went.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Why do I vote this way? Hey, must be the money

Feb. 18, 2014

Although some UF students get fired up over Student Government elections, the overwhelming majority just don’t. During last year’s elections, voter turnout accounted for just 20 percent of the UF Student Body.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Anti-LGBT laws show intolerance

Feb. 18, 2014

Last week, I wrote about how the reaction of prominent Republicans to Coca-Cola’s “America the Beautiful” commercial reflects conservative intolerance toward nonwhite and non-English speaking Americans.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Minimum-wage raise would be ineffective, increase layoffs

Feb. 18, 2014

To say that Democrats will have a difficult election cycle this year would be an understatement. Forget the fact that the majority of senators up for reelection are Democrats who represent red states and that House seats are pretty secure. Forget the fact that the president is losing favorability each month while the economy struggles to grow.

OPINION | COLUMNS

What to know about Venezuela

Feb. 18, 2014

Last week, I spent my Wednesday night watching “Breaking Bad” episodes on Netflix.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Protect Earth and her scarce resources

Feb. 18, 2014

Our sun is amazing. It keeps us warm and keeps things lit. It’s pretty much the best thing to happen to this solar system since sliced bread — well, before sliced bread, to be exact. I guess you could say we’re the sun’s Goldilocks child because to date, we are the only planet with observable life in our solar system.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

SG Spring 2014 endorsement: Swamp, but with footnotes

Feb. 17, 2014

Endorsing Student Government parties is always difficult, and in an election season that saw unprecedented events, we found it even harder. Swamp is the only party with a full executive ticket, but we have serious reservations about encouraging the growth of a one-party system — especially when that one party has a history of corruption.