Category Archives: Op-eds

Donald Trump misunderstands immigrants’ motivations

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Christina Gaspar
Oceanside, Calif.

Donald Trump started his surprisingly successful presidential campaign by pointing a finger at Mexico. “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best,” he said. “They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime. They’re rapists and some, I assume, are good people,” Trump argues that building a wall, paid by Mexico, would stop the influx of immigrants.

Mexican immigrants moved in large numbers toward the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. Of course, Mexican immigrants still continue to migrate, but now in smaller numbers. In the past few years most immigrants crossing the U.S. border with Mexico have been from other Central American countries. Continue reading →

Rihanna challenges white feminism in controversial new video

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By Misbah Awan
Queens, N.Y.

I am not an avid viewer of celebrity videos, partially because they don’t interest me but mostly because I know if I were to invest in watching them, I would feel as if my brain cells were slowly dying because of how these stars are represented.

Rihanna is different. She co-directed her most recently released video, “Bitch Better Have My Money.” While some white, female critics demonstrated discomfort with Rihanna’s video, I was not shocked by what I saw. I was amused. Continue reading →

Women athletes still discriminated against despite recent successes

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By Rave’n DaJon Coleman
Philadelphia, Pa.

This July, Jen Welter became a coach for the Arizona Cardinals. She is the first woman in NFL history to become a female coach. The sports world greeted her hiring as a moment of great progress for women in sports. “I want little girls to grow up knowing that when they put their mind to something, when they work hard, that they can do anything regardless,” Welter told the New York Times. Continue reading →

Israel and Palestine must compromise

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By Rashid Binnur
Imperial Beach, Calif.

By all accounts, there is a major discrepancy between the number of Israelis and Palestinians who have died in the conflict in Gaza that erupted last month. According to the United Nations, more than 1,800 Palestinians have died, while the death toll in Israel, according to its government, stands at just 67.

But these disparate death tolls reflect not just a war in Gaza, but an attack on a nation’s sovereignty — a sign that both Israel and its backers in the United States refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy of the Palestinian state. Continue reading →

Opinion: Kiss Cam outdated, heterosexist

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The Jets played at the MetLife Stadium for their preseason opener against the Colts on Aug. 7.

The Jets played at the MetLife Stadium for their preseason opener against the Colts on Aug. 7.

By Ashley Nava
El Paso, T.X. 

You’re sitting in the stands at a major sporting event, hot dog in one hand, drink in the other. Suddenly, you look up at the jumbotron and see your projected face framed with a heart, and the words underneath read, “Kiss Cam.” Thousands of people anxiously wait for you to kiss the person sitting beside you. The only problem is, they’re your sibling.

This hypothetical situation is the reality that many have faced and will continue to face in the coming years. The assumption that any female and male sitting together are in a relationship, or at the very least are inclined to participate in this mockery of love, is ridiculous. Let’s not forget the awkward instances when they’re just friends. Continue reading →

Foie gras a foe to this foodie

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By Saintra Thai
San Bernardino, Calif.

I am a foodie. But I have ethics. And my ethics prevent me from eating foie gras. Being an ethical foodie isn’t always easy, however.

After all, foie gras is considered a delicacy throughout the world. It is widely used in French culinary recipes because of its compatibility with other ingredients. It’s popular practically everywhere, from European bistros to three-star Michelin restaurants in New York. Continue reading →

College is well worth the costs

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Illustration by Justin Park

Illustration by Justin Park

By Razia Sultana
Brooklyn, N.Y.

Parents talk in their seats, teachers fix their robes and students can’t hide their smiles. The venue is strewn with white carnations. A congratulatory arc of balloons acts as the backdrop. The students rise and hold their breath. “By the power vested in me, the Class of 2014 is officially graduated,” says the speaker.

Graduating from college is perhaps the greatest moment in an individuals’ lifetime. So, why are there so many cynics who say that college isn’t worth it? Who ask, “Why spend four years in an institution that doesn’t land you a ‘proper’ job? And why should you spend thousands of dollars if you don’t know what you want to do in college in the first place?” Continue reading →

Teens aren’t fairly portrayed in media

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By Nathan Phan and Sania Syed
Rosemead, Calif. & Los Angeles, Calif.

Drugs, sex, alcohol: the perfect recipe for the party-crazed teenager so prevalent in pop culture. Society has grown so accustomed to this negative image that aspects of what many teenagers actually do — take multiple AP courses, stay inside to study for the SATs and care for their younger siblings — are entirely ignored. In short, the portrait that society has painted of the average teenager is flawed, displaying unrealistic stereotypes that have become too universally accepted. Continue reading →

Education should be unlocked for all

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Illustration by Angela Kim

Illustration by Angela Kim

By Najay Greenidge
Philadelphia, Penn. 

Education is the key that allows people to open doors in life. Yet we as a society deny certain groups access to this key because of their socioeconomic status. In doing so, we stunt the growth of our society by creating people who are destined to fail.

To return the key to success to the lower classes, we as a society should raise the tax rate for the wealthy, and use that money to equalize educational opportunities for people of all backgrounds.

America has long suffered from the ills of segregation, whether it be racial, ethnic, religious or economic. Yet while overt segregation has been become less socially acceptable, the ever-distant pool of elites has been able to perpetuate inequality because the wealthy have vastly better educational opportunities. Continue reading →

Property rights should trump preservation at battlefield

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A couple strolls through the Princeton Battlefield State Park. The Institute for Advanced Study is proposing to build a new site beyond these trees.

A couple strolls through the Princeton Battlefield State Park. The Institute for Advanced Study is proposing to
build a new site beyond these trees.

By Kaygon Finakin
Bronx, N.Y. 

More than two centuries ago, when the roads of Princeton were still unpaved, the town was the scene of a small but important battle in the American Revolutionary War. But for the past 11 years, a different type of conflict has been playing out — one that should finally come to an end.

Like many long-running disputes, the details are complicated. In essence, the Institute for Advanced Study wants to build housing on a 22-acre plot of land that it owns near the Princeton Battlefield State Park. But the Princeton Battlefield Society (PBS) — an organization created in 1971 for the purpose of preserving the battlefield — opposes those plans, arguing that the land is sacred ground that should not be tainted by construction or development.

This disagreement has gone on long enough. The land belongs to the Institute, and the Institute should be able to develop that land as it sees fit. Continue reading →