Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

US media is making the same mistake UK did

Sep. 22, 2016

Browsing the various news websites online has become an arduous task in 2016. Watching news stations on TV is even more unpalatable. Trying to stay informed is important, but a very fine line has developed between awareness of current issues and receiving the massive media spin on everything. Has 2016 really been that bad a year for the world? No, but I believe we’re not only becoming far more aware of the terrible things, but also fascinated by them. For the majority of Americans, their news comes through their preferred syndicated source’s filter, as they are simply being spoon-fed whatever that news station decides is important that day.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Regarding David Parrott’s email to students

Sep. 22, 2016

UF’s Vice President of Student Affairs’ David Parrott’s “incomprehension” statement is factually false because it incorrectly implies that violence has only occurred against blacks across the nation. The Washington Post reported July 8 that of the 509 people who had been killed by police in 2016, 123 were African-American. That means about 75 percent of the people killed were not African-American. To say there was only violence against blacks across the nation is, and continues to be, a blatant and intolerable misstatement of fact.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Giving up freedom for the sake of security: analyzing Snowden's decision

Sep. 21, 2016

Oliver Stone’s movie “Snowden” came to theaters Friday. The true-story drama follows the lead-up and fallout surrounding the infamous NSA contractor’s decision to release thousands of top-secret documents and flee the country to avoid prosecution by the U.S. government.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

The internet of North Korea

Sep. 21, 2016

The internet is a wonderful thing. On Monday, it blessed us with a strange yet immensely fascinating look into a previously mysterious corner of itself: North Korea’s internet. By some accounts, it’s hard to believe North Korea even has internet. But this past weekend, the doors were accidentally opened to North Korea’s websites — all 28 of them. For the citizens of the closed-off, dictator-led poverty-stricken nation, that basically is their internet.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Surprise: The 2016 election actually has precedent

Sep. 21, 2016

We are amid the most unusual presidential election of our lifetime. It features a career politician against a Washington outsider; a liar versus a loose cannon. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party’s preferred choice, and her candidacy are unsurprising. And this time last year, few expected Donald Trump to be the Republican Party’s nominee. His rise has rocked the political landscape.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Life is a (metaphorical) highway: an analysis of driving habits and life

Sep. 21, 2016

I love my mother, and I hate stereotypes about Asian women, but I’m going to come clean and say this: She is not a good driver. I, unfortunately, have inherited this trait from her.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

The impact of consumerism on charity

Sep. 20, 2016

Recently our opinions editor was walking by Tijuana Flats on University Avenue and saw pink ribbons scrawled in paint across the windows. These ribbons, obviously symbolizing the global fight against breast cancer, really resonated with him. His mother is a breast cancer survivor. Also, his love of burritos is unparalleled.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Stop grammar shaming: We all drop letters every once in a while

Sep. 20, 2016

Throughout elementary school, I — like many others — was taught to say “John and I went to the store,” and not “me and John.” You shouldn't say “I ated the sandwich” or forget that you’re you (and that’s your bag). And never, ever start a sentence with a conjunction.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Support each other and help change society

Sep. 20, 2016

As a 22-year-old female college student, certain things are expected of me.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Thoughts on Rate My Professors' ‘Hotness’ rating

Sep. 20, 2016

Oh, ratemyprofessors.com, my darling, my muse. How I long for your infinite wisdom during add/drop week. You show me the level of effort I will have to put into each of my courses before I even enroll. You save me money on textbooks by assuring me that my Western Civilization professor won’t use it.

OPINION | COLUMNS

One more SpongeBob column

Sep. 19, 2016

This week, I wanted to talk about “SpongeBob SquarePants” again. I also wanted to talk about slapstick, but I feel like I didn’t waste enough of your time explaining exactly why I wanted to delve so deeply into a show geared toward kids. So, I’m going to explain that: why exactly I want to delve so deeply into a show geared toward kids. Let’s go.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Lessons from ‘Star Wars’ on loneliness and escapism

Sep. 19, 2016

As I said last week, I will be exploring in the next few columns the effects of modern technology with our postmodern society, for good and for ill. Last week I discussed how smartphones and social media are often used as means to escape our deeper insecurities. This week I will still be discussing this theme of escaping, but in a different way. And I will be addressing not just social media, but technology as a whole: video games, the internet, binge watching on Netflix or Hulu, etc.

Tim Tebow stretches out before batting practice at the New York Mets' complex, Monday, Sept. 19, 2016, in Port St. Lucie, Fla. The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback got to the complex early Monday, and started his first workout as part of their instructional league team.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Let's talk about Tim Tebow.

Sep. 19, 2016

Dear readers, we need to have a serious talk about Tim Tebow.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Dealing with the uncertainty of post grad life and senior year anxieties

Sep. 19, 2016

Anyone who has interacted with me on a personal level or read my columns with some sort of frequency (Hi, Mom) knows that the gaping void known as ‘post graduate life’ has terrified me for some time now. From that fateful Preview session during which I was delicately reminded to keep the job market in mind when picking a major, to those recent sleepless nights spent torturing myself with questions like “Do I really want to go to law school?” any thoughts about the not-so-distant future have resulted in more anxiety than excitement.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Cheney-s of love: Finding the wrong election role model

Sep. 18, 2016

We all have role models. Well, all of us except for J. Cole. In his song “No Role Modelz,” Cole points out that in this day and age, no role models exist for us to look up to anymore. The desire to live a humble lifestyle has since been replaced with the obnoxious, tacky and entirely superficial placeholders. Young people used to look up to athletes who didn’t use performance-enhancing drugs, politicians who made compromises to reach success for the betterment of this country and celebrities who engaged in philanthropic causes — not celebrities who get “Made in China” breast implants (read: a Kardashian) or “Made in Thailand” lip injections (read: a Kardashian).

OPINION | COLUMNS

Crushing gender oppression with a pair of heels

Sep. 18, 2016

I’m one of those people who wears heels on campus. You can catch me doing high-knees as I power my way up North Lawn or swinging from tree to tree as I teeter-totter across the Plaza of the Americas.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Sing me a happy (or sad or angry) song, but nothing else

Sep. 18, 2016

Our musical tastes are unbelievably polarized. There are very few popular songs that take a middle ground when it comes to emotion. Why does our generation seem to enjoy incredibly depressing, intensely angry or extraordinarily happy music? There is likely no single answer to this, but there is one I feel is the most probable.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Trump campaign coming apart at the seams after no pivot

Sep. 18, 2016

“President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period.”

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the Editor: On-campus housing should be better maintained

Sep. 15, 2016

My daughter moved into on-campus housing in August 2016. She was so excited to begin her college experience that she moved in early by volunteering as a Gator Aide to help others before the semester started. That excitement was short-lived.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Column: Leisurely reading in college is rare, but it's certainly worth the time

Sep. 15, 2016

Change is natural. Change is good. There are not many emotions greater than the anticipation of change. It gives us everything we can want in life: something to look forward to, to desire. Plans held into the not-too-distant future help us trudge through the monotonous present, giving us an attainable shift out of our current boredom and into something new.