Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Hurricane Matthew: discerning between fearmongering and facts

Oct. 10, 2016

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.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The key to understanding the art you love: create

Oct. 10, 2016

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.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Not everyone gets to move forward after Hurricane Matthew

Oct. 9, 2016

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.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Think before you help: how intention can hinder effect

Oct. 9, 2016

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.

OPINION | COLUMNS

What's so special about Gatorship?

Oct. 9, 2016

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

OPINION | COLUMNS

Prioritize, capitalize and enjoy: It's your time, so make it what you want.

Oct. 9, 2016

Time. What a word. Loved and hated, used as an excuse and seen as a vice. Time is difficult to fully understand. How often do we say we wish we could alter time? We make mistakes, and we wish we could go back and stop ourselves from doing so. We have something exciting coming up, and we wish we could skip everything from now until then. Why do we do this? Why can’t we just enjoy the present? Well, dear readers, probably because the present is not all that pleasant most of the time.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Darts & Laurels: October 7, 2016

Oct. 6, 2016

You’re at a concert, standing with some friends in the pit. “Hello Gainesville!” shouts the lead singer to his adoring fans. You start singing along to the lyrics of their No.1 song, but something’s off. The singer’s lips are moving to the actual lyrics, but all you hear through the microphone is “Darts and Laurels, Darts and Laurels.” You look to your friend to see what’s up. But instead of your friend, it’s one of those creepy clowns. It tilts its head, looks into your soul and whispers, “What, don’t you love this song?”

OPINION | COLUMNS

Why people should trust the use of antidepressants

Oct. 6, 2016

I recently saw an argument unfold on one of my friend’s Facebook statuses. The post was a combination of two images: one of a forest with writing that said, “This is an antidepressant.” The second image was of several pill packages that implied prescribed antidepressants, with writing stating the vulgar equivalent of, “This is garbage.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

A look at the music-festival craze

Oct. 6, 2016

Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, Coachella: The names sound like exotic, tribal get-togethers deep in a rainforest and, frankly, that description is not far off.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Pressure on Saudi Arabia long overdue

Oct. 6, 2016

Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which would allow families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for its alleged complicity in the terrorist attacks. President Barack Obama vetoed the bill, arguing it would not only undermine strong diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia, but it would also weaken the long-standing tradition of sovereign immunity: the legal doctrine that no foreign nation can be held responsible from civil suit of prosecution. However, the veto was overridden by an overwhelming margin — 97-1 in the Senate and 348-77 in the House.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Seeking a friend in the digital world

Oct. 5, 2016

I’m going to come out and admit something I usually only share with close friends: I role-play online. Now before you start thinking I spend time on Neopets forums, let me briefly explain the type of role-playing I do. I role-play through Tumblr. Each character I play has a different blog, and I’m part of a larger group in which each person has a handful of characters with their own blogs. When it comes to actually role-playing, it goes like this: I write a scene through my character’s perspective, then whoever I am role-playing with writes the same scene through their character’s point of view and advances it. This keeps on going until the thread finishes.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Quit clownin’ around, America: Draw a line between clown fun and clown harm

Oct. 5, 2016

Late Monday night, an angry mob assembled on the streets of Pennsylvania State University.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Comedy in a vacuum: What makes for timeless comedic entertainment?

Oct. 5, 2016

Popular culture shapes a lot of the comedy around us, obviously. Plenty of TV shows make references to current events, and plenty more harken to other decades to appeal to an older crowd. Weekly shows like “Saturday Night Live” thrive off of popular culture; it’s a show that’s stayed relevant for more than 40 years by doing so. Period pieces take the culture of a past era and convey that era to a modern audience.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Despite GOP re-Pence-ance, Pence stays with Trump

Oct. 5, 2016

It was astonishing, the vice presidential debate between Tim Kaine and Mike Pence. It looked oddly familiar. It looked nothing like the debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump a few weeks ago. No, this debate was full of substance, political theory and, for the most part, well-developed arguments. Kaine and Pence got on that stage and actually looked like what two respectable candidates ought to. It seems the debate we watched Tuesday is the debate we had traditionally been watching. For once, we felt nostalgic.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Acknowledge marriage equality opposition

Oct. 4, 2016

Many students at UF have taken statistics classes at some point in their lives. Whether they came to UF with AP Statistics credits in their back pockets or took Introduction to Statistics 1 here, it’s comforting to know that those in our campus environment acknowledge and respect statistical truth, even if, by taking those classes, they understand how easily manipulated statistics can be. Regardless, the website FiveThirtyEight, created by statistical superstar Nate Silver, published an article yesterday with a gripping headline: “People Who Oppose Gay Marriage Are Less Likely To Value Expert Opinion.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

Overdoing it your freshman year: reflections on casual substance abuse

Oct. 4, 2016

I was a freshman and walking to my first-ever college party. It was 9 p.m., and I approached the apartment complex slowly. I stuck my hand into the pocket of my dark-green army jacket and fiddled with the half-filled pack of Marlboro Lights with two joints pushed to the corners. I figured I should bring something to be polite, but I had no way of obtaining a bottle of wine or a six-pack of beer.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Society needs to be open and honest, not afraid

Oct. 4, 2016

This past week I had some free time and enjoyed watching TV. I have been paying more attention to the new commercials and publicity displayed in the media.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Building academic and professional careers through conferences

Oct. 4, 2016

As students, learning is not only done in the classroom through courses by professors, but also in extracurricular activities. A conference, for instance, might give students new insights, too. In a typical class, achieving the best academic performance is the largest goal for every student, accomplished by completing assignments, class participation, discussion and exams.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Privacy on the internet and you

Oct. 3, 2016

Fads come and go. In 2016, some of the best moments can be had sitting on the Plaza of the Americas, watching people as they stroll all the way from Anderson Hall to Turlington Plaza, selfie stick in hand, to document this fascinating migration. Fitbits must always be on, because how else would people keep track of how many calories they burned playing “Pokemon Go”? Why not let everyone know what you just did by sending them a Snapchat with that puppy-dog face?

OPINION | COLUMNS

Read the Health Affairs newletter: a message from SG health secretary

Oct. 3, 2016

Hey, Gators!