Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

We’re not talking about Standing Rock correctly

Nov. 27, 2016

Protestors against the Dakota Access pipeline have been told to leave their camp by Dec. 5 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Although they said it’s to protect the protestors from confrontations and illness due to the harsh winter conditions, taking away their right to protest will actually do more to harm them. The people who are most affected by this are the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe; they will have a lot more problems in the future if the pipeline is built without interference. The protestors must be allowed to voice their concerns until they are heard.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Existential crises and Thanksgiving

Nov. 21, 2016

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” — Heraclitus

OPINION | COLUMNS

A critique of post-election emotion and logic

Nov. 21, 2016

So two weeks have passed now, and many are still upset, surprised or ecstatic that Donald Trump has been elected the future president of the U.S. Regardless of your position, some facts need to be addressed that are eluding the discourse in this post-election environment. This is not a liberal attack on all conservatives — Trump’s campaign included — nor is this a conservative bulwark. This column is an attempt to provide depth to a disillusioned, party-conflicted, currently anger-driven discourse.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The expansion of Gainesville comes at a bad time

Nov. 21, 2016

Welcome to Gainesville, the city of brick built around a beautiful university with historic architecture and a new skyscraper next door. This development is inevitable in a growing city like Gainesville, but right next to the university was not the best place to start the conversion. Some continuity would be nice. On the south side of University Avenue, you have the UF main campus, with its collegiate buildings and carefully planned open areas. On the north side of University Avenue, you have a 10-story modern-style mixed-use apartment building. On the other hand, the UF campus is a major center of activity for a great deal of the Gainesville population. It makes perfect sense to increase development next to the university: Students want to live close, and people who are in the area for work want to be able to pick up some things. While I dislike the idea of changing the skyline around the university, I must admit that if the city is going to continue to grow, then this type of development must occur. However, this should have started a block or two away from campus, and then, over the years, be allowed to creep closer to campus. That way, people get a chance to acclimate to the different skyline. I think this project had good intentions but poor timing for the location.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

The National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation

Nov. 20, 2016

Perhaps one of our favorite American traditions is the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation. At this ceremony, the president of the U.S. is presented a live Broad Breasted White turkey. Here, the POTUS pardons the turkey from his death sentence, otherwise to be served scrumptiously next to some mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Trump’s administration appointments should give you concern for the country

Nov. 20, 2016

Just because the election is over doesn’t mean we should just sit back and allow the next four years to pass us by. Republicans won not only the presidency, but the House and Senate as well, meaning they could wield a massive influence — including the appointment of Supreme Court justices and presidential appointments. Despite the number of Republicans who seemed to oppose Donald Trump, like Paul Ryan, it looks like opposition to Trump from within the Republican Party has just melted away.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Beyond the election, let's focus on nuanced conversation instead of insults

Nov. 20, 2016

A week ago, I spectated the anti-Donald Trump rally that was hosted by the Radical Student Association (RSA), and what I witnessed was disturbing. I heard the foolish spewing from both sides: the RSA’s representative speaker declaring, “I hate America,” and the Trump supporter in a U.S. hat shouting, “Leave our country.” However, what I saw was even more horrifying. I saw the convulsions of my fellow students’ faces, spit flying from their mouths as they attempted to scream all they could, and the little twitches in each of them when you could tell they’ve had enough – it was the tangible manifestation of how we have all felt during this grueling election year. It was fear, anger and confusion.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Be thankful, stay true to yourself and keep the faith

Nov. 20, 2016

It’s almost time for a break! This is exciting. Time to eat your body weight in stuffing, watch some football and then fall asleep on the floor at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving is also a time for family, which excites most people I talk to. However, this year more than any other, I’ve heard people sigh with dread when I bring up Thanksgiving. I ask why they feel this way, and it has been the same answer every time.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Darts and Laurels: November 18, 2016

Nov. 17, 2016

It’s a quiet November afternoon. The air is crisp, the sun is going down, and you’re sitting on your porch drinking some iced tea while reading The Independent Florida Alligator. You’re about to flip the page and make it to the Opinions Section when Lassie, the neighbor’s son’s dog, comes running up and starts barking at you. “What’s that, Lassie?” you ask while standing up, clutching the paper. Lassie continues to bark. “Timmy fell down the well?!” you exclaim, “that’s the third time this month, right?” Lassie barks quickly, confirming your suspicion of Timmy’s predictable recklessness. Hurriedly, you run over to the well, paper in hand. “Help, Mister! I can’t swim!” you hear him gurgle while he splashes about within a manageable arms reach. “Yeah, sucks to suck, Lassie. I’m about to hit page six of The Alligator, and not even your bloodcurdling cries for help can stop me from reading my favorite Alligator feature…

OPINION | COLUMNS

On the true Democratic powers of liberal media

Nov. 17, 2016

Ever since the advent of national news outlets in America, the country’s mass media has almost universally been more liberal. Those who are more Republican have accepted this as fact, using this as a go-to line whenever debating someone of the opposite party. This election season, however, has revealed the true severity of the media’s political leaning, and Republicans have finally, after decades of tolerating this as an unwavering feature of the culture, begun to say “no more.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

Election Day is over, but the fight goes on: Don't give up on America's progress

Nov. 17, 2016

I feel like, on a national level, a lot of us have been moving through the stages of grief during this past week and a half. It started with us being in absolute denial that a candidate who many of us saw to be unfit had been elected. Once the initial shock subsided we were angry, outraged at the hateful reactions of extreme supporters. Some of us tried bargaining with the Electoral College as a last resort, with the hopes that maybe, just this one time, history could be rewritten and things would work out in our favor. When we realized that wasn’t possible, you could say a depression hit. It has taken a while to start moving on, but a lot of us are starting to accept the things we cannot change.

OPINION | COLUMNS

We should learn from mistakes and move forward in Trump’s America

Nov. 17, 2016

Election Day came as a shock for many of us, and very few succeeded in predicting the outcome — not the academics, intellectuals or media, and certainly not the Hillary Clinton campaign.

OPINION | COLUMNS

It's not an election hot take: Let's talk about memes and their significance

Nov. 16, 2016

Instead of doing the predictable thing and giving my hot take on the election results, which will undoubtedly echo that of people in my similar demographic, I’m going to talk about memes.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Sifting through the fragmented aftermath of the election one week later

Nov. 16, 2016

It began even before either candidate had hit the magic threshold of 270 projected electoral votes.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

An uncomfortable Trump comparison

Nov. 16, 2016

On Oct. 10, we ran an editorial titled “Is Trump a modern-day Hitler?” We concluded at the end of the piece that the answer was “not really” but that Trump and his cronies are “blurring that line more and more every day.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

Hope, love and hallelujah from President Fuchs

Nov. 16, 2016

The night before my birthday, Nov. 3, I received the gift I was hoping for but didn’t expect: The Chicago Cubs won the World Series.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Philosophical musings on ‘Dr. Strange’

Nov. 15, 2016

Be warned, dear reader. This editorial contains many spoilers for Marvel’s latest movie, “Dr. Strange.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

Regardless of the presidential election's outcome, respect is universal

Nov. 15, 2016

Since the election, we have seen some mixed responses to the results. From protest to social confrontation, the U.S. has been facing an important transitional stage. As a Latina, I have had the opportunity to experience both sides of the coin these days, from friends approaching me to offer their support and tell me they will always have my back to acquaintances stereotyping me and joking about my immigration status.

OPINION | COLUMNS

How pornography affects our perceptions of sex

Nov. 15, 2016

The summer after sixth grade I was 12 years old, and I was attending camp on weekdays while my parents were at work. This was the first time in my life I noticed the sexual features of the female body. Every day I would go to the pool, and I’d see girls wearing skimpy bikinis, outlining their breasts and showing off large patches of skin on their stomachs, legs and backs. It was during this summer that I French-kissed a girl for the first time. She was one year older than me, she had curly blond hair and her cheeks were peppered with acne. We made out by the vending machines at a bowling alley the camp took us to.

OPINION | COLUMNS

It's empowering to see fashion, technology coming together to support women

Nov. 15, 2016

The “Unleash your Creativity Through Technology” tour brought a multitude of women from diverse fields of study to discuss their issues with current gender inequity and how to progress toward higher education for women.