Opinion

Viewpoint

Understanding the geopolitics of the 2023 Levant

By Miryam Onstot | November 6

The events that began on Oct. 7 will reverberate through Middle Eastern history. For most of us, the Middle East has already looked like hellfire for the past decades. But the most despicable thing one could do is let this moment become lost in a larger history of brutality that ties together every tragedy of the Middle East into one nebulous, and seemingly unsolvable, geopolitical disaster. What this world cannot afford, at this moment, is to underestimate the gravity of Oct. 7. To understand the full extent of this conflict, it’s important to parse out critical elements of the 2023 Levant.

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Column

The Budget Line: Late nights without Late Nights

By Justin Hong | November 6

It’s that time of year again — the part of the semester defined by whiplash between midterms and your Halloweekend plans. No matter what those may be, on Fridays and Saturdays we can all count on Late Night at Commons to be the cherry on top of a raucous night out or for a midnight snack.

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Viewpoint

We need to stop equating people’s politics with their humanity

By Liam Chalfonte | November 6

In today’s polarized political environment, opinions have become markers of not just ideology, but morality and humanity. Online discourse attacks people for holding certain ideas, and people are compelled to speak on issues they know little about just to appear morally acceptable to their social circle. Instead of hearing bad opinions, we see bad people.

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Viewpoint

Green is the new black: How we’ve demoted sustainability to a passing trend

By Kaashvi Ahuja | November 6

Do you own a metal straw? Maybe you do and maybe you take it everywhere with you. Maybe you do but you’ve forgotten about it and it’s lying somewhere unused, collecting dust. Can you remember why you bought it? For the planet, right? That’s what one would expect. As is commonly known, plastic straws are bad for marine ecosystems. But why did you truly buy the metal straw? Was it really to reduce your plastic consumption for the sake of turtles, or was it to participate in the larger trend that gave merit to this concept of “saving the turtles?”

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Viewpoint

House Democrats have swapped a rival for someone much worse

By Evan Wang | November 3

When Kevin McCarthy was ousted as the U.S. House of Representatives speaker on Oct. 3, many of my Democratic friends laughed and celebrated while the Republican Party entered meltdown mode. Vote after vote, the Republicans in the House desperately attempted to elevate one of their own to the House speakership but failed spectacularly each time. The far-right wing and the moderate wing of the party battled for the top job of the House while the government stood at a standstill. Finally, on Oct. 25, this utter chaos on the House floor came to an end as Republicans chose Rep. Mike Johnson as House speaker.

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Guest

Op-ed: An uphill battle in the fight for fossil fuel divestment at Tufts

By Tufts Climate Action | November 3

For over a decade, the Tufts community has called for the university’s divestment from fossil fuels. For over a decade, we have met with administrators, hosted sit-ins and rallies and unanimously voted for a TCU Senate resolution calling for divestment. But even today, an estimated $90+ million of our tuition still lines the pockets of fossil fuel billionaires. All the while, Tufts prides itself on its standing as a progressive institution that prioritizes students’ voices and our ability to ask bold questions. It highlights its work in “creating a sustainable path to a brighter future.” Today, we ask this bold question: How is that possible while Tufts actively funds the destruction of our planet, fueling ecological disasters and massive injustice? Sometimes, this work feels like pedaling a bike we didn’t realize was bolted to the ground.

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Viewpoint

Elite universities don’t condemn hate speech and face the financial consequences

By Kevin Golub | November 3

In the wake of Hamas’ attack on Israel, tensions have been rising on U.S. college campuses. At Tulane, pro-Israel and pro-Palestine protestors, who were initially peaceful, devolved into violence and threw punches just a few days ago. An Israeli student was allegedly assaulted at Columbia where, days later, many students staged a walkout in support of Palestine and against Israel’s so-called genocide. Similar walkouts occurred at Harvard, Princeton and NYU, as well as here at Tufts. 

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Guest

Letter to the Editor

November 2

Dear Editor, I was deeply disturbed reading Professor Emeritus Gary Leupp’s recent letter to the Daily. It is astounding that a professor of history could either be so ignorant to the real and legitimate fears of Jewish students on campus, or so callous that he does not care. Leupp claims that ...

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Guest

Letter to the Editor

November 2

Dear Editor, On Oct. 25, The Tufts Daily published my letter to the editor in which I asserted that an op-ed by the “Revolutionary Marxist Students,” submitted in response to the recent Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, violated Tufts’ standards on free expression and constituted prohibited ...

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Viewpoint

My silence does not mean I don’t ‘care’: The perils of social media activism

By Linda Huang | November 1

In the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, followed by incessantIsraeli counterstrikes, a recurring frustration — triggered by phrases such as “your silence is showing” — has surfaced within me. Whether this sounds all too familiar, or completely novel, the point is that there is often a sentiment that as individuals, we are obliged to immediately post an online statement opining on a global tragedy. 

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Viewpoint

One way to revitalize American patriotism

By Kevin Golub | November 1

Many Americans today actively display hatred for the country we call home. It has resulted in people like soccer star Megan Rapinoe, who shamefully knelt during the national anthem while representing the U.S. on the international stage and continuously bashes American policies, even though the country’s citizens have contributed to Megan’s success at every turn (via employment, endorsements, etc.). Though Rapinoe is a far cry from the majority of Americans, the trend of Americans loathing their own country has become more prominent. So what can we do to revive American patriotism? I feel that the prominent themes in country music can show us the way.

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Columns

MisCONceptions: Come to ‘The Spectator’

By Trent Bunker, Nicholas Rishi, João Ribeiro and Katherine Brown | November 1

Editor’s note: MisCONceptions is a column with four contributors. This article was written by João Ribeiro. The MisCONceptions column was founded to allow students to articulate positions not generally shared on campus. Since its founding, groups beyond conservatives have struggled to have their ...

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Viewpoint

Stop calling it a border crisis

By Maxwell Shoustal | October 30

As sensationalist media coverage on the so-called “border crisis” continues to ramp up, we must acknowledge that pushing this narrative spreads nothing but deceit and ill will. The media has dubbed the fairly significant number of migrants arriving at our southern border as a “crisis.” There are indeed many aspects of the situation that could be described as a crisis. The U.S.’ indefensible treatment of migrants at the border is exemplified by the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy that led to the separation of 5,000 children from their families. Trump’s border policy was guided by the notion that migrants would be deterred from entering the U.S. through the southern border if they knew that they would be met with a response of “zero tolerance.”

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Column

The Policy Perspective: The case for deprioritizing high-speed rail

By Keshav Srikant | October 30

It’s easy to see the appeal of high-speed rail. One only needs to consider the success of the Shinkansen bullet trains in Japan to see the benefits. A 2021research paper found that the Shinkansen reduces travel times and increases job opportunities.

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Guest

Op-ed: It’s time to acknowledge antisemitism on campus

By Elijah Fraiman and Micah Gritz | October 30

More Jews were killed on Oct. 7, 2023, than on any day since the Holocaust. Innocent Israeli civilians were kidnapped, sexually assaulted and violently slaughtered by Hamas in a massacre some are calling Israel’s “9/11 moment.”

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Guest

Letter to the Editor

October 30

Dear Editor: I’d like to comment on the response of alum David Spalter LA’89 to the op-ed by the Revolutionary Marxist Students published last week in the Daily. His letter matches a national template, as pro-Israel forces in this country, stunned by the manifestations of local support for the Palestinian national cause, struggle to control the narrative. The gist is that students should not be allowed to voice support for the Palestinian people violently resisting occupation, or to refer to Israel as a colonial settler state, as such statements constitute “hate speech.”

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Viewpoint

Social media’s dangerous role in the Israel-Hamas conflict

By Sadie Roraback-Meagher | October 27

If you’ve been on social media lately, there’s a good chance your feed has become flooded by posts surrounding the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Whether it be a flashy infographic or images of gut-wrenching violence, social media platforms have once again become a stage for people to vocalize their rage and feelings. But amongst the posts, tweets and footage that have proliferated, misinformation has created murky waters, making it increasingly difficult for users to discern what is real and what is fake.

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Viewpoint

The US needs to improve foreign language education

By Matthew Rampe | October 27

Only 10% of people in the U.S. speak a foreign language proficiently. In comparison, in Europe, 65% of people can speak a second language other than their native tongue. Although the difference is drastic, these numbers should not come as a surprise. For many years, American public schools have been completely lacking when it comes to language education. For a country that used to hail itself as a cultural melting pot, the U.S.’ foreign language education programs are greatly impaired. Foreign language education has been shown to be beneficial in enhancing memory, problem-solving and even aptitude in other subjects. In addition, foreign language increases a student’s knowledge of the world, allowing them to be informed about different cultures. It goes without saying, therefore, that American foreign language education needs improvement.

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Column

Ukraine at War: Promoting Russian culture means supporting the genocide of Ukrainians

By Mariia Kudina | October 26

Scrolling through chats on WhatsApp the other evening, I saw a poster advertising a Russian tea drinking ceremony that is to be hosted on campus on Friday. The next morning, my mom texted me that she and my younger brother heard explosions caused by a Russian missile during their mid-afternoon walk with our dachshund. While Russia continues to bomb Ukrainian cities, towns and other localities daily, Tufts’ Department of International Literary and Cultural Studies sponsors an event to promote the culture of a nation that commits genocide.

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Guest

Letter to the Editor

October 25

Dear Editor, The Tufts Daily has recently published an op-ed titled “Looking toward Palestinian liberation and the death of imperialism,” authored by a group calling itself “Tufts Revolutionary Marxist Students.” Just a bunch of students exercising their right to the free expression of ...

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