Opinion

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A critique of critical comedy: self-deprecation

Self-deprecating humor is pretty commonplace. It’s easy to pull off, and no one can be offended, because you’re only disparaging yourself. It’s a great way to look humble and witty at the same time, and a self-deprecating joke makes everyone around you feel that much better about themselves. This style of humor is a useful tool, certainly. But, like I said, it’s pretty commonplace. People have a knack for selling themselves short, because doing the opposite makes them look arrogant. And there are a fair number of societal norms that ask us to think poorly of ourselves, including social media and beauty standards. We’re all pretty much in agreement, though, that being humble is more noble than being boastful, right? I like to think so. It’s just the polite thing to do, really. When it comes to comedy, though, self-deprecation gets tricky.

What’s the social cost of your Halloween costume?

STEM and liberal arts should not be that separate

Hearing about the current demand for science, technology, engineering and mathematics majors is nonstop. From high school onward, the STEM vs. liberal arts dichotomy starts to heat up and continues beyond college. Although it may be true that people with these skills are desperately needed, being a STEM major does not mean you are inherently more hardworking than others, and a liberal arts major is not lazy just because the answers to liberal-arts questions might be more open-ended.

Don’t cheat others, don’t cheat yourself

When asked what the most infuriating thing in the world is, many potential answers come to mind. For me (and at least some others, I assume), it’s ignorance. Shocker, right? That’s why I am majoring in journalism, and that’s why I spend time each week writing things like this article to hopefully invoke some kind of thoughtful reaction to a variety of topics. Other infuriating things include people who use the 10 items or less line with more than 10 items, cut in line, eat pizza crust-first and chew with their mouths open (just writing that list made me start to twitch). However, there is one habit above all that really shouldn’t be an issue but has come to permeate our already delicate collegiate society: cheating.

Darts & Laurels: October 14, 2016

You’re sitting in lecture, listening to your professor drone on about some topic you won’t even be tested on. You feel your eyelids getting heavier and heavier. Your head drops down. Reflexively, your body jerks back and your eyelids shoot open. “Everything OK?” your friend next to you whispers. “Barts and Royals,” you deliriously mumble back. “Huh? Whatever, dude,” she says before glancing down at her notes. You lull slowly back to sleep, and as you’re drooling on your desk, you have a dream about…

Why we should resist the authoritarian temptation

 On Tuesday morning, Gov. Paul LePage (R-Maine), said in an interview, “we need a Donald Trump to show some authoritarian power in our country.” Not only is it unsettling for the governor of an American state to be endorsing an authoritarian form of government, but it also reveals an underlying shift in the American public — a tilt toward authoritarianism.

Reconsidering our laws against marijuana

Do you remember, dear reader, sitting in a Drug Abuse Resistance Education class in elementary school, taking that solemn and sacred vow to never touch drugs? We do. Statistically, most of you have broken that oath. It’s no secret that a sizable portion of the college demographic has experimented with cannabis in one of its many forms.

You do you: There’s no ‘right’ way to experience your college years

There are a lot of times I think I did college wrong. This becomes especially evident as my college career slowly creeps toward a close, while my sister’s is just taking off. Because of the glorious war of sister rivalry, sometimes I can’t help but compare our freshman years. She’s been making new friends every day, working out regularly, going out every weekend and bonding with the people on her floor.

Don't ignore environmental issues

Fifteen years ago, a little girl was in Washington, D.C. She was sitting in the corner of a conference room playing with Polly Pockets while her dad was in an important round table meeting with the Heritage Foundation discussing water treatment systems. She was promised that if she was as quiet as a mouse during the meeting, her dad would take her sightseeing. Oh, how she was dying to see the Lincoln Memorial.

Reflecting on death and life after graduation

The halfway point of the semester is fast approaching. Midterms are near.

Space Pioneers! Another race to space

Four ape-like creatures sat at the base of a tree in their rainforest habitat. They ate bananas, scratched their hindquarters, picked bugs out of one another’s hair and worried very little about the pressures of survival. Life was simple.

Stay true to yourself and your beliefs

These past few weeks, I have been attending a class in which we discuss climate change. During this class, we have been exposed to data, information and public opinions on the topic. Most of the time, our professor makes us reflect on the correlation between human activities and the increase in temperature. During this time, she calls for us to think about our daily activities. I must admit, it is eye-opening and emotional to reflect on this. For a couple of hours, I sit with these ideas, and in a melancholic way I ask myself, “Are we dooming

Cheese-side down: thoughts on working a crummy job at an Italian restaurant

It was the summer after my freshman year of college. I was 19 years old and staying with my parents for a couple of months before the new Fall semester rolled around. After a couple of weeks of putzing around the house, I started to receive subtle signals from my dad. He would come home from a long day of work and say something like,

Politics and religion: The truth is more complex than conservatism and liberalism

The downfall of writing for the opinions section is that I only have so many accurate, or semi-accurate, opinions. There is a limit to the amount of truth I possess inside myself; the rest is pure inaccuracy. In light of this, I will nevertheless delve into politics head-first without a second thought about facts. After all, this is politics we’re talking about, the blank canvas we all feel entitled to throw our colorful opinions on. Who cares if the paint I throw looks like a 3-year-old’s attempt at drawing a pony?

Is Trump a modern-day Hitler?

According to Godwin’s law, “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazism or Hitler approaches one.” For those of you with no background in statistics, this means the longer an online discussion is, the more likely it is that someone will compare Nazism or Hitler to his or her opponent’s side of the argument. Given that this election is immersed in online communication, it’s unsurprising our candidates are already being compared to the early 1900s political movement.

Hurricane Matthew: discerning between fearmongering and facts

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the slew of parties and bad decisions that came about in response to Hurricane Hermine. Sure, some people stocked up on bottled water and bread in anticipation of the Category-1 storm, but the majority of us celebrated our day off with some choice beverages and friends. After all, it had been a while since the last hurricane made landfall in Florida and eons since one had caused any long-lasting damage. With Hurricane Matthew, all of that changed.

The key to understanding the art you love: create

Yeah, I talked about “Homestar Runner” two weeks ago. That’s fine. I’m going to talk about it again. Here I go. Let’s dance.

Not everyone gets to move forward after Hurricane Matthew

Fellow Gators and football fans, we need to sit down and have a chat about your behavior over this weekend. A state of emergency was declared over our great state as Hurricane Matthew wreaked havoc in the Caribbean and our east coast. As of press time, 902 people have perished in the wake of this catastrophic storm.

Think before you help: how intention can hinder effect

With the impact of Hurricane Matthew becoming clearer each day, it’s evident Florida was spared the worst of it. It devastated Haiti. While students at UF hoped for the hurricane to cancel class and delay their exams, Haiti was washed out by the hurricane.

What's so special about Gatorship?

It’s mystical. It’s magical. No, it’s not a super rare Pokemon — it’s Gatorship.