Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | DARTS LAURELS

Darts & Laurels: September 9, 2016

Sep. 8, 2016

Life is strange. The future is unpredictable. You find that scary. You seek answers everywhere, but the more you discover, the less you know. The confusion slowly dissipates, and fear starts to take its place. All hope seems lost. In the darkness, you see a flicker of light. With curiosity ablaze you chase after the glimmer, and as you grow nearer and nearer you stumble upon the Friday edition of the Independent Florida Alligator. In it, you find something that makes everything okay. That something is…

OPINION | COLUMNS

Kaepernick and radical social justice

Sep. 8, 2016

When San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick protested the national anthem before an NFL preseason game Aug. 26, I felt the ensuing outrage was overblown. I agreed with President Obama’s response — it is Kaepernick’s constitutional right to protest what he sees as a problem of racism and police brutality in America. By the same token, it is also the right of those who disagree with him to criticize him for his method of protest. As far as I was concerned, the discussion ended there.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Slow down and love life around you

Sep. 8, 2016

I didn’t have many friends growing up. The few friends I did have were only made because we were stuck together for X number of hours every day from elementary school until high-school graduation. Most of them didn’t stick around too long after the classrooms no longer held us together. I realized shortly after graduation I would be going into college entirely alone in a completely new city, and I was terrified. But now Gainesville feels more like home than my hometown ever did. I feel like I belong here, and I’ve found my niche. I’m able to surround myself with people whom I genuinely care about and who genuinely care about me. What scares me, though, is that this is a town where a solid chunk of its population is constantly in transit, so it’s almost impossible to tell how long these people will be in my life.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

A message to the University of Kentucky

Sep. 7, 2016

Right now, a university is suing its student newspaper.

OPINION | COLUMNS

How LA police use football for change

Sep. 7, 2016

For the second time last Thursday, San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem before an NFL preseason game. In his own words: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish for me to look the other way.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

Reflections on 9/11

Sep. 7, 2016

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 15 years. I can still remember sitting in my first-grade classroom as the routine morning announcements played on the television, just as they had every day. Nothing unusual. When the announcements were over, my teacher turned on a local news broadcast. Maybe she had heard what was happening. Maybe it was a coincidence. I don’t remember.

OPINION | COLUMNS

STEM versus humanities: the war that shouldn’t exist

Sep. 7, 2016

On the off chance you’ve been paying attention to my byline, you may have noticed I have two very different majors: English and computer science. I can already tell that your reaction is probably one of two things: complete, utter confusion or a strange, hesitant sense of awe — maybe even some combination of the two. Whatever it is, I get it. Even though people who are good at both artsy things and tech things exist (and are actually far more common than you’d believe), it’s rare that someone decides to take the leap and actually do both things. But trust me, we’re around. I know someone double majoring in mathematics and art and someone else who is a pre-med English major. And I’m sure others like us are out there.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

We need to take better care of the sick

Sep. 6, 2016

As I’m sure you can tell from yesterday’s editorial, the talented David Hoffman is taking a break from writing. With that sad news behind us, I feel like I should reintroduce myself. My name is Zachary Lee. I’m very excited to announce that I will be joining the Alligator in a more involved capacity for the remainder of the semester. I’m humbled and honored (typical tacky word choice, but sincere, I assure you) to have you all as my audience.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Two sides of the same coin: my thoughts on this election

Sep. 6, 2016

One thing this presidential election has brought out in the general public that I cannot stand is the peculiar habit of people to air their opinions as frequently as CNN mentions Donald Trump. Seriously, if you watch 15 minutes of CNN, you’ll think Trump is Dr. Evil from “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.” It seems to me this behavior, namely the obsessive instinct to break down every single word and deed from both candidates, has trickled down into our everyday conversations. To be honest, I am tired of reading and hearing the banal, repetitive and cliche opinions that have been passed around as frequently as a cute puppy since last year.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Roommates, part one: Is it possible to not fall in love with them?

Sep. 6, 2016

Last year I moved into an apartment with three of my close friends: Jessica, Lizzy and Mara (all pseudonyms). I fell in love with Mara at the beginning of the Spring of my sophomore year.

OPINION | COLUMNS

How to master beauty and dominate your interactions

Sep. 6, 2016

Haven’t we all fallen in love? But what is love? Why do we get physically attracted to someone? Why do we consider someone pretty? What should we consider to be absolute beauty? You may find this surprising, but everything related to love and attraction is rooted in biology.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Stay hungry: Never settle for face-value

Sep. 5, 2016

Hello, dear readers. So, this is David, coming out of the closet to speak to you directly.

OPINION | COLUMNS

A methodical look at the nautical: SpongeBob

Sep. 5, 2016

Let’s jump right into things, shall we? I’m just kidding. I never do that — jump into things, that is. I always ramble for the first few hundred words so I can release all my pent-up charm and wit. I just watched “Back to the Future” this weekend for the first time in a while.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the Editor: The fight to restore online voting

Sep. 5, 2016

Today at 5 p.m. in room 285C of the Levin College of Law, Tyler Richards and I will argue before Student Government’s Supreme Court and make the case to restore the remote-online-voting amendment the Student Body passed last Spring. During Summer, the court recalled this amendment and three others after re-interpreting the vote-tallying language in the Student Body constitution, arguing those who voted in the elections for president or Student Senate but abstained from voting on the amendment should be counted against the 60-percent approval required to pass.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Our fragile America needs repair, truth

Sep. 5, 2016

The human being is a fragile specimen, subject to the prying hands of time. Our bodies endure much wear and tear: weather, injuries, inopportune falls. Bruises lay over the fine canvas of our skin, fading one day and returning the next. In enough time, should you allow such bruises to fester, they consume your existence.

OPINION | COLUMNS

For collegiate Floridians, hurricane parties are dangerous yet necessary

Sep. 5, 2016

To this day, I’m still amazed by the colorful range of responses that an approaching hurricane will bring forth from Floridians. Non-native residents frantically plan for the looming apocalypse by stocking up on nonperishables, flashlights and bottled water. Concerned parents beg their college kids to stay indoors, avoid power lines and charge their cellphones.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Darts & Laurels: September 2, 2016

Sep. 1, 2016

Not even two weeks into classes, and we get hit with Hermine, the first hurricane to hit Florida in 11 years. Maybe this is a sign we shouldn’t have come back to school to begin with? Or maybe Mother Nature is just sick of all the “Florida Man” stories and finally decided to pull the plug on our state altogether. Well, Florida, it was fun while it lasted. So as you curl up by the fireplace app on your smartphone and avoid the apocalypse going on outside today, please enjoy our roast of the week, our lighthearted musings, our stormy-day edition of…

OPINION | COLUMNS

Colombia could be a case of peace in our time

Sep. 1, 2016

Lately, Latin America has seen a lot of drama — the impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, the Mexican president’s Twitter duel with Donal Trump. But thankfully, there’s some good news, too.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Can men cheering from the sidelines really be considered feminists?

Sep. 1, 2016

A week ago, it hadn’t occurred to me it would be a disadvantage for men to support the feminist agenda, but when I started to thinking about it, I couldn’t get over it.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Hermine, Louisiana, rising sea levels: a ticking time bomb

Aug. 31, 2016

Did any of you Gators go surfing over the summer? Well, bust those boards back out and buy an extra pair of swimming trunks, because we’re about to get some serious rain over the next couple of days. Tropical Storm Hermine is set to hit the Big Bend area (aka armpit) of our not-so-Sunshine State today at about 1 p.m.