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Opinion

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Viewpoint

47’s bully policy

As the administration of President Donald Trump has set off on its pursuit of an “America First” agenda, the majority of its moves so far have confused, and outright angered, many in the international community. Scarily, the majority of these aggravated parties are, or at least were, incredibly important U.S. allies.


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Viewpoint

The Oscars are once again awarding cultural exploitation

“Emilia Pérez” is a 2024 Spanish-language musical crime film written by non-Spanish speaking Frenchdirector Jacques Audiard. While the film was set in Mexico, it was filmed in France, as Audiard’s vision of Mexico didn’t match thereality of the country’s streets. This vision is of a stereotypical Mexico, centered around a cartel leader with the backdrop of street markets, deserts and that familiar sepia filter.


Coffee Table Socioeconomics
Column

Coffee Table Socioeconomics: Invest more in our human capital

In the field of development economics, there is a prominent view that education and investment in human capital are key for improving social organization and economic mobility, bringing about effective economic development. For an already-developed country like the United States, this view on development may not always manifest in economic terms — it could also pertain to both social progress and innovation. Having been able to compare the relationship between education and development in a developing country like China and a developed country like the United States, I have seen firsthand how access to and quality of higher education play a crucial role in shaping a nation’s trajectory.


US Trump Immigration
Viewpoint

The US will soon lose its status as the ‘land of the free’

The Trump administration has long since straddled the blurry line between hate speech and outright human rights violations. The recently inaugurated President Donald Trump and his administration have abused their positions of power to enact executive orders that accelerate the United States’ descent into a country led by compassionless government agencies and individuals.


Deepseek
Viewpoint

DeepSeek isn’t a threat – it is a moment for AI advancement

Within just a few weeks of its arrival, China’s latest reasoning model DeepSeek R1 sent the stock prices of American tech companies plummeting. Investor Marc Andreessen described it as “AI’s Sputnik moment,” considering the new AI model — developed by the new Chinese startup company — shocked Silicon Valley and Wall Street. This new model is said to be capable of performance equal to that technology of more prominent AI companies such as OpenAI and MetaAI at a fraction of the cost of its competitors. People interpreting Andreessen’s comment as a wake-up call for drastic change might be extrapolating from history — if Sputnik sparked national mobilization, why wouldn’t an “AI Sputnik” moment lead to something similar? One could view DeepSeek as a canary in the coal mine, as it signals a potential decline in U.S. technological supremacy in the face of China’s growing technological capabilities. I, however, view this issue differently. 


Landscape: The Parc Monceau (1876) by Claude Monet, high resolution famous painting. Original from The MET. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.
Viewpoint

Say goodbye, good riddance to uniform art movements

Last semester, I visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum — now my favorite art museum — for the first time. Built by Gardner and her husband to display their vast art collection in a dignified and evocative manner, the museum is a masterclass in artistic harmony. Walking through the Gothic Room, I was struck by how seamlessly the different forms and aesthetics connected, creating a strong sense of continuity. Stepping out of the museum and back into the modern world, I couldn’t help but wonder if there were any such uniform art movements in the modern era.



B&J
Viewpoint

Changing the world one pint at a time

If you’ve ever been on a Mini Mart ice cream run, you may have noticed Ben & Jerry’s pints are more expensive than other brands. You may ask yourself, “is my splurge worth the cost as a student on a limited budget?” Yet it’s important to note that your money may go toward more than just ice cream. The creators behind your favorite logos and flavors hold values and make choices to invest profits in a way that impacts the world in which we live. Those few extra dollars might go into supporting a cause that you truly care about. Despite Ben & Jerry’s slightly higher price tag, their model for investment beyond the product itself should be the gold standard for companies. Not all companies have missions that support social causes, but the realization that consumers like to purchase from brands that support causes they care about has driven some companies to use progressive politics as a marketing tactic.


NFL fan
Viewpoint

Don’t blame the referee, blame the league

As an avid sports fan, I understand the emotional intensity that comes with watching a game, no matter how low the stakes. Whether I’m cheering on my younger brother as he plays a match of youth soccer or watching my favorite professional sports teams, I often feel as emotionally invested as I would be if I were a player on the field. Games that don’t end with a victory for my team often produce an emotional reaction that compels me to find any excuse for the loss. Oftentimes, a significant amount of blame falls on the game officials, whether they are referred to as referees, umpires or judges.


The Setonian
Guest

Letter to the Editor

In the Daily’s Thursday article, “Medford passes Welcoming City Ordinance,” Medford City Councilor Justin Tseng praises the city’s euphemistically-named Welcoming City Ordinance. In the councilor’s own words, “This is essentially sanctuary city legislation.” His ...


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Viewpoint

What Elton John and Drake can learn from Frank Ocean

Frank Ocean may have some of the most cultish, fervent supporters in the entire music industry. Born as Christopher Edwin Breaux, the 37-year-old singer’s fan-base — and influence — far exceed the quantity of his music. Though he hasn’t released an official studio album since 2016, every year there seems to be rumors that Frank has a new life-altering masterpiece on the way. His fans read into every bit of his life, analyzing his Instagram feed, his mom’s birthdaymessage and even recently, a masked figure on Tyler the Creator’s music video, for a desperate sign of new music. I, for one, have a bootleg vinyl of his unreleased songs — and I’m not even a mega fan. This kind of obsessive behavior is normalized throughout Ocean’s fanbase. Safe to say, fans would give up an arm and a leg to hear another second of Ocean’s sweet melodies.


Elon Salute
Viewpoint

The return of fascism: Musk proudly invokes Nazism in infamous salute at presidential event

As the head of these organizations, Musk has often been at the head of public controversies. One of the most recent pieces of problematic news to come out about Musk was that the openly appeared to give a Nazi salute at an event held for President Donald Trump’s inauguration. This news was naturally deeply alarming and frightening to many. How could a gesture most commonly associated with the fascist, antisemitic regime of Adolf Hitler be reappearing at a nationally televised event in the U.S. nearly a century after WWII?


Debate
Viewpoint

The fallacy of equally valuable perspectives

I think it is both possible and necessary for people to disagree with each other constructively on important matters. All perspectives deserve to be patiently heard, regardless of how egregious they may initially seem; an argument is not invalid simply because it does not affirm the moral superiority of your own position.


The Setonian
Opinion

Op-ed: Perverting protest into profit

Imagine you, a Tufts student, are sitting in front of Ballou Hall, along with several others, protesting for Tufts to divest from a nation you feel is an apartheid state. Officers are physically trying to move you and threatening you with felony charges. Soon after, Tufts places you on disciplinary ...




Jojo Siwa
Viewpoint

JoJo Siwa: Misunderstood

JoJo Siwa is undoubtedly one of the most cringey — and hated — artists of our generation. Her music video for “Karma” earned the most dislikes of any YouTube music video by a female artist in 2024, and the comment sections on her songs are constantly filled with animosity, with comments such as, “Gonna play this at my funeral so people would be jealous im in the coffin” under her most recent music video for “Choose Your Fighter.” Although I agree Siwa is eminently cringy, I believe people are often too quick to judge her. Too many allow their discomfort with her persona to overshadow any attempt to understand her.


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Column

Through Indigenous Eyes: Trump, birthright citizenship and the Indigenous exception

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump announced an executive order ending birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship to formerly enslaved Black people after the Civil War. Almost immediately, the executive order was temporarily blocked by a federal judge in Washington, D.C. Attorneys general from 22 states agreed that the order is unconstitutional and violates the 14th Amendment. Even so, Trump is arguing that the exceptions in the 14th Amendment, such as the Indigenous exception, don’t allow for birthright citizenship.


Trader Joe’s
Viewpoint

How Trader Joe’s branding style made the grocery chain beloved

Trader Joe’s is beloved by all. By all, I mean students, soccer moms, snack fanatics — and me. I’ve been to every single Trader Joe’s you can get to by the T. The best: the one in Allston, where you cross the bridge and walk by the HarvardStadium. It’s giant, has countless products and features a beautiful walk that guides customers into its wonderful doors. The worst: the one off of Copley, which happens to be the smallest Trader Joe’s in the U.S. Guess why it’s the worst!



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Viewpoint

A leftist’s case for political diversity at Tufts

In 2023, a study found that young people’s voting habits are heavily influenced by the voting patterns of where they grew up. That has certainly been the case for me. I grew up in Oakland, Calif., which belongs to the most Democratic-leaning congressional district in the country. I went to a high school with a very progressive student body, and now I’m at Tufts with a similarly progressive student body.


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