Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

It's time to realize that AI domination may be imminent

Sep. 7, 2017

Man created computers, but could computers be what ultimately brings mankind’s demise? With the advent of artificial intelligence in the last couple decades, computers have not only developed a mind of their own, but have become better at many of the things humans try to do. It is the classic tale of the apprentice rising up and turning on his master, and I fear we are quickly approaching the iconic moment in every film that has this sequence: the fleeting moment of stillness when the master realizes his fate and that his end will come from the exact thing he created.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A response to ‘President Trump right to end DACA’

Sep. 6, 2017

There’s nothing like waking up in the morning and reading a column that makes your blood boil.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Just remember: The newspapers you call fake are run by actual people

Sep. 5, 2017

If you haven’t been living under a rock for the last week or so, you’ve probably read coverage on Hurricane Harvey.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Trump is a human, just not a very good one

Sep. 5, 2017

At this point, we have seen our fair share of anti-Trump posts during his presidency. We realize, of course, that a lot of President Donald Trump backlash is driven by emotion. However, a lot of the resistance Trump is met with has been valid and important for Americans to take note of and discuss.

OPINION | COLUMNS

President Trump right to end DACA

Sep. 5, 2017

Yesterday, President Donald Trump announced his decision to end DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the controversial Obama-era executive order that allowed illegal immigrants who were brought here as children to remain in the U.S. and receive work permits. The fact is, DACA was the epitome of our nation’s foolish immigration policies, and President Trump was right to put a stop to it.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Time management is a skill college students need

Sep. 5, 2017

It’s not uncommon to feel like you have a million things to do but not enough hours in the day to get them done.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Being multiracial should not be dependent solely on how you look

Aug. 31, 2017

In an interview with Playboy, singer-songwriter Halsey recently opened up about the struggles of identifying with her black culture while being white-passing. Depending on what form of social media I saw this article, I either saw people supporting her — often those of multiple ethnicities who felt a struggle to connect with their cultures — or people telling her to grow up and just get used to the fact that she’s “white.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

Already trashing Taylor Swift’s new music video? Take another look at the ending scene

Aug. 31, 2017

As I start to type this, I can already envision your eyes rolling at the headline. Nonetheless, please hear me out. Trust me, I do know that anything said in Taylor Swift’s favor is shot down pretty fast, and I know there are a million reasons as to why, but this is important.

OPINION | COLUMNS

In the stories of the past, we can find parallels with our own lives

Aug. 31, 2017

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to visit some of the most unique cities America has to offer. From New York to San Francisco, Savannah to Berkeley, the more culturally rich and fascinating cities of the country tend to also be home to some of the best bookstores on Earth. Comfortably nestled somewhere in the beating heart of a city, often miles away from the nearest Barnes & Noble or Target, the independent bookstore thrives.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Darts & Laurels

Aug. 31, 2017

You step into the ballroom, four hooded figures following you on either side. The figures on each end carry torches, and the others carry various gemstones. You recognize that one is an emerald, another jade and another topaz. The rest of the stones you can’t discern, despite having a masters degree in geology. The two figures nearest to you grab you by the arm and strap you down to a chair at the end of the ballroom. Someone pries your eyes open and forces you to stare into the light. The hooded figures assemble in front of you, each holding their gem in a different orientation and position. The light shining from the ceiling focuses into a beam, which begins to refract from one gemstone to the next. Once the light passes through the sixth gemstone, the beam hits your eyes, and everything goes white. Out of the whiteness comes a message, and upon reading it, your fears and doubts vanish. The message, of course, reads:

OPINION | COLUMNS

Morality can’t be the new chivalry

Aug. 31, 2017

A Twitter search of the hashtag “goals” revealed to me a serious cultural problem. It led me to this tweet: “Today at Chipotle a girl asked her boyfriend if she could get chips with their meal and he replied, ‘It's your world babe I'm just living in it.’” It was followed by a few blank lines so that readers could soak it in before the Twitter user wrote, “Ok need.” It got 85,000 retweets.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

As you change throughout college, stay true to yourself

Aug. 29, 2017

College is a time for exploration and self-discovery. Hardly any of us will leave UF as the same person we were when we got here. Letting the experiences you have in college lead to change and growth is a normal and healthy thing to do during this time. What isn’t healthy or normal, however, is letting the people around you dictate how you change and how you grow.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Greek life is for some people but if it’s not for you, that’s OK

Aug. 27, 2017

With the beginning of another school year comes something that is a mystery to most and dreaded by many: fraternity and sorority recruitment. As of last Wednesday, sorority recruitment at UF has come to a close. For many women on campus, the last week has been filled with makeup, dresses, heels, small talk and long hours. Girls from all over the country — and world — come to UF to visit each sorority house and find their homes and future sisterhoods through a process that could accurately be described as grueling and rather unpleasant.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Ignorance is not always bliss when it comes to news

Aug. 27, 2017

Over the summer, a lot of UF students had the luxury of living in a bubble. Some students spent the past three months in the woods as camp counselors. A few used their time off from classes to travel abroad to where they had little-to-no access to the internet. Others went on mission trips, worked at time-consuming internships or just spent their days sleeping for long periods of time. Basically, a lot of Gators were fortunate enough to be gleefully unaware of a lot of the chaos happening around them over the past few months.

OPINION | COLUMNS

We need to start shopping with a purpose

Aug. 24, 2017

Welcome back to the swamp, Gators! I hope everyone has been having a fabulous summer, after all, I already know all the Florida residents have been having a warm one. However, now that we are all back in action and ready to go, it's time to get serious. Let's talk about the planet, and how to make it better.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Writing can give you the power to be anything and do anything

Aug. 24, 2017

On Aug. 7 my little brother and I had to trek across London from one airport to another, accompanied by two large suitcases, phones that did not work outside of the country and the exhaustion of a day of traveling. Due to general miscommunication, we were separated from the rest of our family, whose flights were out of Heathrow Airport the next day. Ours was out of Gatwick Airport (which has no direct Tube line, mind you).

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Open your mind to a unified America

Aug. 24, 2017

President Donald Trump’s address Monday evening was alarming and infuriating to many Americans for a number of reasons. Somewhere in between the incoherent babbling and deplorable attempts at defending himself and his actions, the president announced that not only does he plan on keeping troops in Afghanistan, but he wants to send more.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Could a dog be the cure to all your problems? Why not adopt?

Aug. 22, 2017

Somewhere in the midst of my junior year at UF, I decided to adopt a dog on a whim (this part of the story I don’t recommend).

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Healthy habits start now

Aug. 22, 2017

College students are notoriously unhealthy and lazy individuals.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Use your privilege to ignite change and promote good

Aug. 20, 2017

It’s 2017, and we have Nazis running around without care and without shame. Please, dear reader, take a moment to absorb the utter absurdity of the sentence you just read.