Foreign Policy published a Jan. 3 article boldly titled "Think Again: American Decline" by Gideon Rachman. The last time I checked the website, 2,380 people "liked" it.
Under what circumstances can democracy survive? Political scientist Robert Dahl argues in his book "Polyarchy" (1971) that the citizens of a democratic state must be allowed to "formulate preferences" and "signify their preferences" by means of "individual and collective action." This action can come in the form of speech and other forms of public expression. Based on Dahl's assertions, it may be prudent to ask the following question: What is democracy without freedom of speech? In more specific terms, at what point does political correctness infringe upon our inherent right to free expression?
Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed a new regulation that would bring student health insurance plans up to the standards of the Affordable Care Act, which passed last year. The new rule would affect insurance plans offered at colleges and universities, including the plan at Tufts offered through Aetna, and is a sensible step toward assuring quality care for college students.
The focus of this year's Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship (EPIIC) course is "Our Nuclear Age: Promise and Peril." Although my friends have enjoyed teasing me about giving up my social life in exchange for learning about "nukes," I've found great relevancy to our lives in this experience.
Last November, Kevin Troughton, in a piece for the Guardian, said that "the ‘straight−acting' are in the ascendency." Easily gleaned from the term itself, straight−acting refers to gay men (femme−butch in the context of lesbians will not be discussed) who do not fit the gay stereotype and conform to gender expectations. Often, the word appears in personals and online dating profiles as a trait and/or preference, valorizing normative gender behavior and interests. And if the word itself isn't used, other formulations (e.g. no femmes, masculine, butch) can imply the same meaning. In effect, the term essentializes sexuality, suggesting that gay men act in one manner and straight men act in another. It creates another binary that divides and discriminates and perhaps speaks to the self−image of gay men and their desires.
Countless people added their names to an open letter to Congress in response to the House of Representatives' decision to withhold federal funding to Planned Parenthood, an organization that provides cancer screening, HIV testing and birth control, among other forms of care. In it, I, and the many others who signed their names, demanded answers to the following questions:
In green culture today there is much talk of ‘sustainability.' Essentially, if a product requires few resources, is efficiently made, is biodegradable and has a picture of the world on it with a cute slogan like "let's work together," then it's probably sustainable. The opposite of sustainability is wastefulness.
Last week, thousands of protestors gathered in Wisconsin's Capitol Square to protest newly elected Gov. Scott Walker's new budget plan, which proposes cuts to the pay and benefits of many government employees and severely limits the collective bargaining abilities of labor unions. A week later, the protestors are still there — an Internet movement has even led hundreds of supporters across the country to order pizzas for the Wisconsin demonstrators.
In Tuesday's edition of the Daily, the editorial "FIRE is wrong in naming Tufts in its ‘12 worst'" and the op-ed "More speech, not less, and certainly not hate speech" respond to Tufts being placed on the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education's (FIRE) "12 Worst Schools for Free Speech" list in The Huffington Post. These two opinion pieces level fairly common criticisms of FIRE and our methods. I write today, as the Justice Robert H. Jackson Legal Fellow at FIRE and a proud alum of Tufts, to address these criticisms and explain further why Tufts deserves its place.
The House of Representatives yesterday voted to cancel federal funding for a jet engine that has been widely opposed by both the Bush and Obama administrations, as well as Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The removal of the F−35 Joint Strike Fighter's alternative engine from the federal spending bill that will fund the government through the end of the year will cut an additional $450 million and save up to $3 billion over the next few years. While funding for the engine has met strong opposition, its continuation has also been adamantly defended by representatives in whose districts its construction has created manufacturing and supply jobs.
One of the great things about Tufts is how worldly the students are, so I apologize if I'm preaching to the choir about this, but I think it bears mention. To set the scene, I've spent the last month traveling all over New Zealand on the supercheap. That means I've been splitting my nights between hostels and campgrounds. While backpacking like this certainly has its thorns, it has allowed me to meet tons of interesting (mostly savory) people. Two things in particular struck me about the travelers that I have met: first, the relatively small number of Americans — especially those my age — and second, the duration of my bunkmates' travels.
Since Scotsman Robert Bruce discovered tea bushes growing along the banks of the Brahmaputra river in 1823, India has gone on to become the world's leading tea producer and consumer. So the fact that Starbucks, the globe's leading specialty coffee retailer, is even thinking of entering the world's largest tea−drinking nation may seem somewhat far−fetched.
After reading the Tufts Daily's editorial on Feb. 14 regarding the senior class's "100 Days Until Graduation" celebration, I was stricken by the inadequacy of the reasons presented as to why the event was held in a venue that was knowingly too small for the number of students invited. The reasons for the Alumni Association's decision to hold the event in Dewick−Macphie Dining Center, as explained to the Daily by Senior Class Council President Lindsey Rosenbluth, were not strong enough to justify knowingly denying two−thirds of seniors entrance to a celebration in their honor.
The latest sex-related scandal from Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is hardly surprising. In a decision handed down yesterday, Berlusconi will stand trial in April for allegedly paying an underage belly dancer for sex, then abusing his power to help release her from jail on theft charges.
In Friday's article "Advocacy group: Tufts one of worst colleges for free speech," the Daily cited the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education's (FIRE) condemnation of Tufts as one of the 12 worst colleges for free speech. The article quotes the president of FIRE, Greg Lukianoff, arguing that Tufts "has consistently adopted policies and practices that censor student speech".
The admirable Style section of the New York Times — let's face it, those asinine trend pieces really understand what's in vogue — ran an article last December, confirming that, yes, in fact, 2010 will be considered the year of the transsexual. How quaint. But will that make 2011 the year of transphobia awareness and activism advocating for the trans community? I doubt it.
Most universities welcome the news that they have landed in the top 10 or 20 in a set of national rankings. But these days, Tufts is topping all of the wrong charts, ranking as one of the 12 worst schools for free speech in an article printed last month in the Huffington Post by Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).
Seniors on Friday night celebrated the beginning of their last 100 days as undergraduates at Tufts with cocktail attire and champagne in Dewick−MacPhie Dining Hall. Four hundred soon−to−be Tufts graduates enjoyed free drinks, hors d'oeuvres and even a toast by University President Lawrence Bacow.
I know I wrote about him last week, but a follow up on Hosni Mubarak is necessary. After all, I did waste my Thursday afternoon waiting for this man to announce his resignation after over two weeks of vociferous protests against him. Of course, he took his own sweet time to show up. When he finally did, he shocked everyone, including the Egyptian army, by not stepping down. These world leaders really can be stubborn sometimes can't they?
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