Category Archives: Opinion

Diversity Isn’t Just a Buzzword—It Changed How I See the World

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By Dominic T.

As I scanned my high school cafeteria, I, like every other freshman in America, anxiously wondered where I would fit in.

The difference was, when I looked at all my potential lunch companions, I didn’t just see students from countless religions, races, backgrounds, and economic statuses. I saw scholars, athletes, artists, musicians—completely unique individuals.

That experience, and many others like it, helped me realize something important: diversity isn’t just a feel-good checkbox. It’s essential to communities across the country.

The benefits of diversity aren’t just subjective—they’re measurable.

In a 2014 Princeton University study, researchers asked groups in Texas and Singapore to price stocks. They found that diverse groups were 58% more accurate than non-diverse groups. In other words, diversity improves how we solve problems, how we collaborate, and how we perform.

This applies to the workplace, too. Every culture has something valuable to bring to the table—economically, socially, and intellectually.

Diversity also saves lives. A study conducted at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that patients from non-white backgrounds often receive worse care from predominantly white medical centers. But when diversity among medical professionals increases, patient outcomes improve.

That’s because when people feel seen, heard, and understood—especially in essential settings like hospitals—they thrive.

I know this from experience. Out of 362 suburbs in Illinois, my hometown of Romeoville ranks number 31 in diversity. Growing up, I never saw my classmates from other cultures as “different”—it just felt normal.

As an agnostic person, I learned about religions like Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam directly from my peers. Their openness helped shape how I think, and helped me better understand the values people hold.

Diversity isn’t something you check off on a college application.
It’s a force that opens your mind, expands your empathy, and builds stronger communities.

The cultural richness of my hometown made me who I am. I believe everyone deserves the chance to grow up in an environment like that—because it doesn’t just change how you see the world.


It changes how you move through it.

The Stonewall Monument Is Falling—and Trump Pushed It

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By Norman S.

During the month of June, protest signs bounce up and down.
“Trans Rights Are Human Rights,” one of them reads.
Parades light up streets all across the United States.

Now flash forward five years: That same sign is blacklisted. Celebrating anything that strays from the “norm” is criminalized.

Sound scary? That’s the path we’re currently on.

The Stonewall National Monument—located at the site of a New York City bar—is dedicated to the uprising that sparked the LGBTQ+ rights movement in the 1960s. Before Donald Trump’s second term, the official government website for the site openly described this history using terms like “lesbian,” “gay,” “bisexual,” and “transgender.”

Today, “bisexual” and “transgender” have been removed.

The Republican Party has increasingly framed the LGBTQ+ community—especially trans people—as predators targeting children and women. This harmful narrative is being used to justify systemic rollbacks. And the quiet deletion of LGBTQ+ labels from government platforms is just the beginning.

There is precedent for this. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, anti-Japanese xenophobia surged. President Franklin D. Roosevelt responded with Executive Order 9066, creating military zones on the West Coast and forcibly relocating Japanese Americans to internment camps under inhumane conditions.

The parallels to today’s political moment are hard to ignore.

Trump and other conservative leaders regularly label LGBTQ+ identities as threats, using slurs and dehumanizing language—words like “mutilation,” “trap,” and “she-male.”

If this framing continues unchallenged, displacement or even criminalization may follow.

Removing terms like “transgender” and “bisexual” from government websites is not just erasure—it’s a warning.

If these dominoes fall, the gay and lesbian communities could be next.
And after that, all of our personal freedoms may be on the line.

Even MAGA Wants the Truth: Trump’s Broken Promise on the Epstein Files

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By Selah D.

Trump promised to release the Epstein files if elected—but now, he’s refusing to follow through.

Liberals and MAGA supporters seem to disagree on almost everything, but when it comes to the Epstein files, they’ve found rare common ground. While many Americans see wrongdoing and injustice in the Trump administration, it’s uncommon for Trump’s own right-wing base to feel the same.

That’s what makes this different. The Epstein files are one of the few issues causing noticeable disillusionment among his most loyal supporters.

But the Epstein files are just one of many examples where Trump and his administration have contradicted themselves or been caught in lies.

What’s revolutionary about this moment is that even his own party is upset. The backlash from the right may mark a turning point in how much trust President Trump still has—even within his base.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump was asked directly whether he would declassify the Epstein files. He responded:

“Yeah, yeah, I would.”

This wasn’t the only time he made the promise. He also brought it up on a podcast with Lex Fridman and during a radio show with Will Cain. On the latter, he said:

“It’d be interesting to find out what happened there.”

But two weeks ago, when asked by reporters about the Epstein case, Trump backtracked completely:

“I don’t understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody.”

Why did he suddenly change his mind? Did he ever mean it in the first place—or was it just another campaign ploy to gain support?

These are the questions that explain why even his supporters are starting to lose trust.

Trump is a liar—and always has been.

The Hidden War Within: How Tribalism Splits Nigeria

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By Richard F.

Divide is part of human nature. We divide ourselves based on hair texture, gender, skin color, religion—but one that surprised me the most as I was growing up was dividing by tribe.

I am Nigerian, born and raised to embrace our rich and diverse culture. I thought different tribes, languages, and traditions were what made us strong. But the older I became, the more I realized how deeply tribalism had shattered the very pillars of our nation.

Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups, yet the most densely populated—Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo—dominate national politics and overshadow our shared identity. The roots of this division lie in colonization, when external forces arbitrarily drew borders across Africa, grouping together vastly different peoples into one country. Nigeria was not born as a nation; it was created as a colony. And the scars of that project remain.

Still, while I acknowledge the role colonization played, I also believe the current generation must take responsibility. Tribalism exists today because we keep perpetuating it—not because colonizers are still here.

I’ve seen it within Nigerian churches here in America, where adults tell children to “only marry Yoruba,” or discourage friendships along tribal lines. These are not harmless preferences; they are seeds of division, disguised as tradition.

Some Yoruba people even pride themselves on having “never been slaves,” using this as proof they are superior to other tribes. But no history is entirely pure. Such myths only breed resentment.

We’re taught to treat each other as “other,” even though we share the same national anthem, the same flag, the same future.

My Nigerian-ness cannot—and should not—be defined only by my tribe.

It is time to break the cycle. We, the youth, must consciously reject the stereotypes passed down to us. We can honor our traditions without using them as weapons.

We may have inherited tribalism, but it does not have to be our legacy.

AI Can Do the Dishes—But Leave the Writing to Us

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By Emmy M.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, once wrote on Reddit that we must not lose compassion behind computer screens. Yet his company has stolen art and writing from millions of people to power its software. This brings up the question: Is the use of AI ethical?

It’s not. But in an age of technological advancement, we’re forced to adapt to this new tool.

AI has become appealing because many use it as a shortcut—to get ahead. But Artificial Intelligence has its place, and it’s not in the arts or humanities.

“I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing—not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes,”
wrote Joanna Maciejewska in an Instagram post, later quoted in an article on Medium.

AI can be amazing for organizational and computational tasks. It’s efficient and powerful. It’s a great tool. But the truth is—it’s not going away anytime soon, and we must approach it carefully.

To feed its database for ChatGPT, OpenAI claimed that if content was online, it was fair game—including pirated, paywalled, and private material.

This logic has justified the theft of work from millions of artists and writers, all without permission. AI platforms now allow access to their creations, often at the cost of their livelihoods.

In September 2023, the Author’s Guild filed a class action lawsuit against OpenAI for copyright infringement.

In its complaint, the Guild wrote:

“Defendants [at OpenAI] knew that their ‘training’ data included texts protected by copyright, but willfully proceeded without obtaining authorization.”

During the case, ChatGPT was prompted to generate an outline of Mary Bly’s novel This Duchess of Mine—a copyrighted work—which it did without permission.

Thankfully, the Author’s Guild won the case. But others haven’t been so fortunate.

Meta was also sued for copyright infringement by authors such as Richard Kadrey—and Meta won the case. That, along with another pivotal lawsuit involving AI company Anthropic, marked key legal wins for Big Tech in the AI space.

The consequences of using AI for the arts and humanities are clear: it threatens to destroy them. If it continues, these fields will no longer be profitable—and no longer human.

This new form of rampant digital theft could permanently reshape media and culture, wiping out opportunities for creators altogether.

As users of these tools, we have a moral obligation to protect artists, writers, and the humanities in our communities.

TikTok, Fetishization, and the Weaponized ‘Oxford Study’

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By Yullianne L.

Picture this: you’re a young Asian woman on TikTok, vlogging GRWMs and lip-syncing to songs. Everyone is supportive of your platform—until you show your white boyfriend.

Suddenly, your comment section is flooded with one phrase: “Oxford study.”

The phrase refers to an academic study out of Oxford University that examined how TV advertisements shaped perceptions of romantic relationships between white men and Asian women. The study concluded that Asian women are disproportionately sexualized and objectified—but it’s been misquoted online to claim that Asian women “prefer” white men.

That so-called “finding” has taken on a life of its own on social media.

This trend—an oversimplification at best and a dangerous distortion at worst—shows how the degradation and racialization of Asian women is normalized on TikTok.

The Oxford study didn’t prove desire or preference. It revealed patterns shaped by algorithmic suggestion and historical power dynamics. It showed how Asian women are often reduced to tropes of being submissive or exotic. These narratives didn’t emerge overnight—they’re rooted in media portrayals and colonial histories.

Nowhere is this more misleading than on TikTok, where the narrative has morphed into a toxic trend. Videos featuring Asian women and white men often go viral—not in celebration of love, but because they reinforce the tired “white savior/exotic Asian girlfriend” trope.

The comments that follow push these toxic narratives even further, turning actual people into caricatures for clout.

This dynamic is baked into the platform itself: TikTok’s algorithm rewards content that conforms to stereotypes while burying or punishing content that challenges racial or gendered norms. Meanwhile, Asian women who speak out against this fetishization are often labeled ungrateful, angry, or divisive.

The “Oxford study” has been weaponized to justify the very thing it tried to condemn: the ongoing objectification of Asian women, valued only through a white lens.

We need to call this out for what it is—not “preference,” but another face of misogyny, wrapped in pseudoscience and likes.

From Candidate to Target: How MAGA’s Attacks on Zohran Mamdani Reveal Their True Ideology

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By Rania S.

How did Zohran Mamdani go from little-known state lawmaker to MAGA’s public enemy #1?

Since the beginning of the young mayoral candidate’s campaign, he’s faced a wave of attacks not only from challengers in the New York City race but also from national political figures. Even Donald Trump weighed in, calling Mamdani a “communist lunatic.”

Since launching his campaign in late 2024, Mamdani has taken the country by storm, sparking mass online support—and just as much outrage. At first, backlash focused on his self-identification as a democratic socialist. Socialism is an ideology unfamiliar to many Americans, which leaves room for fear. And because Mamdani is vying to run the largest city in the country, that label hasn’t been taken lightly.

But the hate directed at Mamdani is no longer just about his leftist politics—it’s now about his faith.

Conservative online personality Charlie Kirk has been one of Mamdani’s loudest critics. More recently, however, the focus of Kirk’s attacks has shifted. On June 24, Kirk tweeted:

“24 years ago a group of Muslims killed 2,753 people on 9/11. Now a Muslim socialist is on pace to run New York City.”

The xenophobia only escalates from there. Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles even suggested deporting Mamdani—despite the fact that he is a U.S. citizen.

Compare this to Bernie Sanders, also a democratic socialist, who launched his first presidential campaign in 2015. Though Sanders faced widespread backlash, it was never as hateful or personal as the pure venom Mamdani is receiving in a local race.

This shocking animosity reveals something deeper: Islamophobia is back on the rise—and stronger than ever.

When corruption is rampant and conflict ever-present, the Republican Party has once again chosen to weaponize fear of the unknown. Just as they did during Trump’s presidency, they’re using Islamophobia to divide Americans—only now, the target is even more localized.

More Than a Tan Suit: How Racism Shapes Presidential Respectability

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By Diego G.

Evil comes in many forms: the removal of healthcare from vulnerable Americans, the erasure of marginalized and oppressed peoples, or—worst of all—a tan suit.

No matter the issue, few things stick out more to the American public than the face behind it.

August 28, 2014, was pivotal for this reason. During the then-age of flower crowns and UGG boots, a tan suit worn by President Obama was deemed a national offense. Ironically, that fashion “crisis” somehow overshadowed Obama’s actual press conference about military plans in Syria. Whether it was deemed “unpresidential” or just “inappropriate,” America collectively decided: we’ll talk about ISIS later.

The ecru suit—typically worn in warmer, semiformal settings—seemed to symbolize another unspoken taboo in American politics: non-whiteness, something that many may have subconsciously linked to being “unprofessional.” If it were truly about the suit, why didn’t Donald Trump’s navy blue attire at Pope Francis’s funeral draw similar outrage?

But it didn’t—just like the current administration’s bizarre AI-generated TikToks portraying Trump as a golden idol or Obama being arrested didn’t either.

Since then, Donald Trump has refused to lower the flag after Senator John McCain’s death, and built a reputation around erratic tweets and a shocking digital footprint. He’s become less a symbol of professionalism and more of a reality TV character. Yet, somehow, Obama’s tan suit lasted longer in the public imagination than many of Trump’s actual political scandals.

That begs the question: What makes a Black man presidential—if someone like Trump can act like an estranged Kardashian and still merit the title?

This isn’t to say Obama’s presidency was without controversy. But unlike international arms deals or scandals, the most iconic media frenzy of his term was…the color of his suit.

Systemic racism doesn’t always announce itself loudly. It hides in plain sight—beneath standards, between expectations, and along the blurred lines of who is deemed “professional” and who is not.

Yes, Black Americans are often told they must work twice as hard to be treated equally. But two times zero is still zero. Without respect, privilege stays intact. And suits are still expected to be black.

Vaped Out: How Nicotine and THC Are Hijacking Young Minds

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By Jayden W.

On a bus ride to an educational event, I watched in disbelief as an elementary school student pulled out a nicotine pen. He couldn’t have been more than ten. Who gave it to him? Who failed to stop him? It was a sobering reminder that addiction often starts early, long before kids fully understand the risks.

More teens and young adults than ever are turning to nicotine and THC to cope with overwhelming emotions, not realizing how quickly a habit can spiral into addiction. According to a Truth Initiative survey from August 2021, 81% of young people aged 15 to 24 who vape say they started to reduce stress, anxiety, or depression. But studies show that nicotine abstinence worsens mental health issues, creating a cruel cycle of dependency.

What begins as a temporary escape frequently turns into a long-term battle with anxiety, depression, and dependency, hijacking not just young people’s minds but their futures. But the issue goes beyond use; it starts with access. So what do we do now?

For every 200 students in primary school, there should be at least 1 counselor. The need for counselors isn’t just for adolescents; college students need counselors as well. On a college campus, for every 400 students, there should be at least 1 counselor. According to a ASCA grant-funded research study, school-counselor-to-student ratios may be optimal at 1:250, but grade level and socioeconomic factors of a district require close consideration.

Government officials and school boards must allocate more funds toward hiring trained counselors to meet the needs of students. If school districts don’t have enough funds to hire these essential workers, they should partner with other organizations to help cultivate a student body that feels comfortable talking about their challenges. 

Though I’ve never used nicotine or THC, I understand the dangerous pull. When life gets hard, we reach for what soothes us at the moment, even if it damages us later. For me, it was food. During a season of deep depression, I turned to overeating for comfort. A moment of joy would quickly turn into guilt, and the weight of my emotional pain would return even heavier. That experience taught me how easily a coping strategy can become a harmful cycle.

If addiction roots itself in childhood, it’s far more likely to persist into adulthood. And if we’re going to stop nicotine and THC from hijacking young minds, we must start by having the hard conversations. It’s now or never.

Resources:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5755398/

https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/emerging-tobacco-products/colliding-crises-youth-mental-health-and-nicotine-use

The American Dream Is Simply a Dream

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By Sosena T.

All that you have isn’t solely the product of your hard work. Instead, it’s the result of a combination of factors that have played a significant role in bringing you to where you are. Because of this, the idea of a society built entirely on merit can never truly exist.

But if no one’s success is entirely their own—then whose is it?

The accident of birth has contributed to the establishment of societal classes since the days of Ancient Greece. When we look at the “meritocracy” system in America, it’s clear that what Americans pride themselves on is not so different from that of Greece. It, too, is tainted by chance.

Two high school students in Princeton, NJ—Aryan Ahja and Hoin Lee—who are currently going through the grueling college application process, said that success today is closely related to “individual connections” and comes with “a certain degree of bias.”

Bias may help someone advance in life, but that’s not true meritocracy. A fair playing field would need to exist—but that can only happen in utopian societies. Not in America. Not in 2025.

According to Nicholas Fata, a graduate student at Princeton University, the poster boy of meritocracy—the American Dream—is actually exclusive. The world we live in has restricted the possibility of prosperity due to various barriers, from economic limitations to social inequalities. And while the American Dream may mean something different to everyone, the role of merit in achieving one’s goals is often far smaller than we like to believe.

So can a true meritocracy ever exist?

Maybe questions like these—mine and yours—can’t be answered with a single explanation that quenches all thirst for reason. But acknowledging the random advantages and inequalities of life can strengthen our understanding of today’s society.

Sometimes dreams are just dreams. But looking toward the future without limits in mind?


That’s better than any American Dream.