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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Sunday, April 28, 2024

Toby Winick


Toby is the executive opinion editor at The Tufts Daily. He is a sophomore studying international relations and political science. Toby can be reached at toby.winick@tufts.edu.

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Opinion

Op-ed: We will not wait for the next school shooting

Editor’s note: The following is adapted from a nationwide op-ed, meant to be published today at over 50 student papers across the country, unifying student voices to organize together toward an end to gun violence and demonstrating shared concern about gun violence that exists on college campuses. The nationwide op-ed was signed by 144 student leaders representing 90 groups across the nation. From the beginnings of our educational journeys, students are taught to love a country that values guns over our lives. Some of us hear the sound of gunfire when we watch fireworks on the fourth of July, or when we watch a drumline performance at halftime. But all of us have barricaded a classroom door in an active shooter drill and feared that next time, someone will be waiting outside.

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Viewpoint

Take note of your candidate’s foreign policy platform

Foreign policy has long been an essential aspect of American domestic politics, though it is not one Americans often consider when voting for president. Foreign policy encompasses choices concerning trade, sanctions, military alliances and treaties, among other issues. Still, Americans are most concerned with the choices that directly impact them at home. In a 2021 Pew Research Center poll, the most favorable foreign policy goals were reducing infectious disease spread, limiting the spread of weapons of mass destruction and protecting American jobs. Comparably, promoting democracy abroad and reducing overseas military commitments were among the lowest. Of course, these issues have domestic impacts, but most Americans prefer to think in the direct terms of jobs and lives, which translates into the largely domestic policy platforms of presidential candidates.

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Viewpoint

What the Roman Empire can tell us about the GOP primary

As Republicans vie to earn their party’s presidential nomination in 2024, the lack of an incumbent president means there is a wide-open field with many candidates trying to assert their superiority. In this campaign cycle, Republicans are turning to new avenues to relate to voters and gain national appeal.

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Viewpoint

Tufts should revert its meal swipe policy — again

Dining halls are one of the most quintessential parts of a college experience. Many first-years especially will be getting their meals through campus dining halls rather than cooking or eating out — a phenomenon more pronounced at Tufts, where first-years are required to purchase the premium meal plan. As a result, the quality and accessibility of student dining is often a significant factor in college decisions, and something that Tufts and other universities appear to actively advertise and pride themselves on.

The Setonian
Viewpoint

Is there a future for Tufts?

The world has changed a lot in the last four years. Over the course of the Class of 2023’s tenure at Tufts, the state of the undergraduate experience changed tremendously. Tufts is in a unique position due to the issues that have arisen from its character and quality as a university.

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Viewpoint

AI’s real threat to democracy comes from within

At this point, you’re probably tired of hearing about artificial intelligence. It has become increasingly clear that AI is going to change the way that many things are done. Its ability to write code, make art and learn from humans to hold conversations holds great potential in reimagining many aspects of society. However, such significant changes face pushback. There has been concern that the computer’s pace of development will be disastrous, as the human brain’s processing power won’t keep up with AI’s capability of limitless content generation. In short, AI could flood people with false information faster than we could remove it. This would bring catastrophic consequences for online discussion and political engagement. Access to the technology for malicious capabilities would be just as easy as access for education or artmaking.

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Viewpoint

The Democrats’ 2024 primary paradox

As the Democratic Party seeks to build upon its historic midterm success from last year, the 2024 presidential election is a particularly important topic. President Joe Biden will likely seek re-election, giving him an incumbency advantage. Yet, with less than a year until the South Carolina primary, the most significant news development has been Marianne Williamson’s decision to run again in 2024. 

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Viewpoint

The U-turn of corporate politics

Americans are now living in a country where corporate patronization and political affiliation become more intertwined each day. In our capitalist democracy, these two aspects are huge parts of cultural character. According to Siege Media, “Fox News” and “CNN” are up with “Starbucks” and “McDonalds” in 2022’s most Googled terms. It is no question how prominent companies and politics are in our daily lives, but there’s been a growing trend of mixing them together. 

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Viewpoint

College basketball and the security dilemma

Every year, I try to win my friend group’s March Madness bracket pool, and I always fall short. The challenge of making a perfect bracket is so close to impossible that Warren Buffett offered $1 billion to any fan that could, but no one did. Therefore, it would be understandable if I was simply bad at making brackets, but I like to think I’m pretty good. So this year, in an effort to make it atop the pool, I found a new source of inspiration: political science.

The Setonian
Viewpoint

The fall off: Causes and implications of China’s declining population

For the last few decades, China has been not just one of the world’s strongest economies, but its most populated country. However, recent news suggests that it may have already fallen to second in the race that it has spent decades dominating. The Chinese National Bureau of Statistics announced that in 2022, the country’s population fell by 850,000 to 1.411 billion people, marking the first time the population has decreased since 1961. It is hard to say that this news was unpredictable, considering China’s population structure. Still, this crisis and China’s response will certainly have a large impact on China, its trading partners and its rivals.

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