Opinion | Viewpoint

Viewpoint

A WWE executive’s dreams of killing public education

By Evan Wang | March 6

President Donald Trump recently proclaimed that U.S. schools are “last in education out of 40 [countries],” but “No. 1 in cost per pupil.” Despite both of these statements being false, Trump is clearly determined to lift our nation’s failing public education system out of the gutters. More than one in three public school students are behind in grade level, while around half of Americans say K-12 education is going in the wrong direction.

---

Viewpoint

Trigger warnings are necessary — we shouldn’t have to just ‘stay triggered’

By Michaela Loughran | March 5

Some conservatives are known for using simple-minded but harmful vocabulary in their rhetoric, especially online. They have a schoolyard bully-like tendency to simply cry ‘snowflake’ and mockingly ask “Why are you so triggered?” in response to many of the serious arguments liberals attempt to make on the internet. This enables them to disregard any of the substance of their liberal opponent’s arguments, while simultaneously attacking them as being ‘too weak.’ According to these right-wingers, it is impossible to form a logical argument while incorporating one’s personal feelings, and cold-hard facts alone should be the only evidence appealed to. I happen to believe this is completely false. In fact, empathy has been shown to be key to conflict diffusion, and thus, online conflicts, particularly political arguments, could stand to benefit from increased civility if both participants were to attempt to be more empathetic. Additionally, growing research is linking empathy to liberal political views, while failing to do so for right-leaning views, indicating a clear empathy gap among the parties.

---

Viewpoint

Pop Princess 101: Chappell Roan is too weird for you

By Olivia Zambrano | March 5

It was bound to happen — within months of Chappell Roan’s sudden rise to stardom, she fell victim to criticism of her costume choices, blunt political commentary and privacy boundaries. Chappell Roan had quickly lost the Midwestern-girl-to-popstar allure she amassed in late 2024. However talented she is, her extravagant aesthetic isn’t palatable to the general public, nor should it be — her persona is rooted in queerness and flamboyance, which appeal to a specific demographic.

---

Viewpoint

Where the Democrats went wrong on immigration

By Anubhav Sinha | February 26

For years, experts have believed that the Republican Party would be unable to win elections in the future due to their messaging on immigration, which many perceived as racist. In 2002, Ruy Teixeira,co-author of “The Emerging Democratic Majority,” suggested that unless the Republicans softened their rhetoric on immigration, they would be doomed to a future of electoral losses in a new multiracial America; so too did the authors of the2013 RNC autopsy, a report commissioned by the Republican National Committee after the GOP’s loss in 2012.

---

Viewpoint

Pop Princess 101: How Addison Rae unexpectedly rose to pop stardom

By Olivia Zambrano | February 26

The music industry is currently dominated by women. Two of the most prestigious categories at this month’s Grammy Awards — Album of the Year and Best New Artist — were awarded to female artists. Among the nominated and awarded artists were a plethora of pop girls — including Chappell Roan, SZA, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX. As women have taken the industry by storm, their increasing ability to influence the media is undeniable. Strategically, Addison Rae associated herself with Charli XCX, one of the biggest female names in pop. This deliberate friendship and collaboration facilitated her transition from cringey TikToker to pop princess.

---

Viewpoint

Eat the men: The politics of feminine violence and rage in fiction

By Max Lerner | February 26

“I stabbed at his heart and struck the sweet spot between his ribs.” So reads a line from the opening chapter of Chelsea G. Summers’s “A Certain Hunger,” where food critic Dorothy Daniels recounts a life that has lately revolved around seducing, killing and eating men. Though gruesome, this novel is a quintessential work in the genre of femgore — a subgenre of body-horror fiction typically written by and about young women with female protagonists carrying out brutal, vicious crimes against the men in their lives. In recent years, its popularity has significantly increased — a trend irrevocably tied to the absolute battlefield of modern gender politics.

---

---

Viewpoint

Peter Navarro, the Jumbo who is shaping Trump’s trade policies

By Bridget Lonergan | February 25

From the classrooms of Tufts University in Medford, Mass., to the political arena of Washington, D.C., Peter Navarro has built upon his Jumbo roots to influence the economic policies of the United States. But who is this Tufts alum, and what does his rise to the White House mean for Americans, and particularly, for the students of his alma mater?

---

Viewpoint

The good, the bad and the ugly state of journalism today

By Sorsha Khitikian | February 25

For the past several weeks, I have gotten countless notifications from news outlets detailing the newest action from the Trump administration that systematically discredits news sources. From targeting the Associated Press for referring to the Gulf of Mexico as such — instead of President Donald Trump’s newly minted “Gulf of America” — to investigating NPR and PBS with the goal of ending their government subsidies, the Trump administration is interfering in the press’ ability to report critically on his policies.

---

Viewpoint

How the Trump administration’s immigration policy is based in fear-mongering

By Monica Reilly | February 20

It was a typical Tuesday night when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers raided a Bronx apartment complex. The event drew a lot of media coverage, especially when Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted a video on social media with the caption “Dirtbags like this will continue to be removed from our streets.” 39 people were arrested that night in raids across NYC and Long Island, inspiring fear both throughout the state and the country about who could be next.

---

Viewpoint

47’s bully policy

By Alexander Degterev | February 18

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.

---

Viewpoint

The Oscars are once again awarding cultural exploitation

By Tatianna Alvarado | February 18

“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.

---

Viewpoint

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

By Olivia Zambrano | February 14

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.

---

Viewpoint

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

By Daniel Lee | February 14

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. 

---

Viewpoint

Say goodbye, good riddance to uniform art movements

By Max Lerner | February 14

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.

---

Viewpoint

Changing the world one pint at a time

By Talia Wilcox | February 13

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.

---

Viewpoint

Don’t blame the referee, blame the league

By Dylan Tanouye | February 12

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.

---

Viewpoint

What Elton John and Drake can learn from Frank Ocean

By Gretta Goorno | February 11

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.

---

Viewpoint

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

By Michaela Loughran | February 11

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?

---

Viewpoint

The fallacy of equally valuable perspectives

By Linda Huang | February 7

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.

---

Viewpoint

Gen Z’s reactions to TikTok ban suggest growing need for simulated community

By Max Lerner | February 6

In August 2020, President Donald Trump ordered ByteDance — the parent company of TikTok — to sell their American assets. That order would prove to be a death knell for TikTok: Four and a half years later, in January, the Supreme Court upheld a law to ban it. On the app, and among the generation that uses it most, panic ensued.

---