Opinion Columns
Spencer Swanson | Far-right despot or economic savior? Welcome to Bolsonaro’s Brazil
Considering the chaos of corruption Brazil has endured over the last few decades, he might, just might, be exactly what the country needs.
Carl-Emmanuel Fulghieri | Anti-Semitism: what it is and how to fight it
Jews straddle the eroded precipice of whiteness, with one hand reaching into its abyss. It is necessary to name the system of white supremacy of which anti-Semitism is one face.
Sireesh Ramesh | Midterms weren’t a total loss for Dems, but they spell trouble for presidential dreams
If Democrats are to win over Trump’s rural, working-class coalition — which will be essential for a successful 2020 outcome — they must take concrete stances on these social issues that helped Trump win in 2016 and helped Republicans keep the Senate in the midterms.
Julia Mitchell | Results of the midterms are as underwhelming as both parties’ agendas
It would be easy to credit Trump’s tweets for every tactful or tactless exercise in misdirection. But these distractions are sown by all sides, and finger-pointing is not unique to one party.
Julia Mitchell | Don’t donate to Penn
Donors to universities should expand access to education, not exacerbate the imbalance between institutions.
Christy Qiu | Partying can be fun for some, but an overwhelming mess of booze and sweat for others
Not partying doesn’t mean that I don’t know how to have a good time or that I waste my nights cooped up in my room.
Sophia DuRose | Increasing Hillel’s security doesn’t decrease my fear of gun violence
It’s a sad fact that practicing your religion in a place of worship has become an act people are scared to perform.
Sireesh Ramesh | Trump wants to force immigrants to choose between health and legal residence
The President has shown, once again, that he’s willing to do whatever it takes (even if it means putting the well-being of more than a million immigrants on the line) to get what he wants.
Isabella Simonetti | Bisexuality is more than just a PornHub category
Bisexual people have trouble finding their place in straight circles without being fetishized or objectified, and in LGBTQ spaces they are thought of as only partially queer. As a result, I usually feel uncomfortable in my own skin no matter where I am.
Joel Lee | For Asian Americans, Halloween is a reminder of how few of our favorite characters look like us
The crushing part was that I wanted to be more than just Batman. I wanted to be “white” Batman. The “real” Batman. I hated being “Asian” Batman.
Kaliyah Dorsey | Why I was anti-relationship coming into college — and why I changed my mind
On FaceTime with a friend from high school, right after an Instagram official couple post on my part, she teased me, “What happened to ‘I hate labels, relationships are a burden, freshman year is for the girls’ Kaliyah?”
Rebecca Alifimoff | How changing languages changed how I think
The strangest thing about speaking another language is all the tiny ways you are estranged from yourself.
Carl-Emmanuel Fulghieri | Professional sports teams strike out by crossing the picket line
It seems especially wrong when professional athletes are unionized and through this representation, have won six-figure minimum salaries.
Sophia DuRose | Kanye’s political friendship with Trump is ‘Bound 2’ fail
As someone who can’t go to a single frat party without hearing at least one Kanye song, I am concerned about supporting him and his music, for multiple reasons.
Joel Lee | Pause the podcast, take out your earbuds, and listen to your own thoughts
Conduct your own intellectual podcast about your thoughts, because it is more relatable than any you can find on iTunes.
Lucy Hu | How to save our democracy in November
It’s time to take off our red hats and blue pins and give each candidate a fair shot.
Julia Mitchell | Don’t let Penn’s club recruitment rush rob you of your individuality
In the first weeks on campus, I watched my friends swept up in a flurry of recruiting sessions, auditions, BYOs, and GBMs for organizations with every abbreviation known to man.
Michael A. Keshmiri | Our president is a nationalist. That should scare you.
Trump’s decision to label himself a nationalist and tout xenophobic conspiracy theories in the days leading up to the midterm elections is a pathetic effort to drum up support from fringe elements of our country whose support played a role in carrying him to the presidency.
Moksh Jawa | Penn’s competition can be brutal, but it’s one of the best things about it
What started off as a nagging feeling of insufficiency a few months into freshman year has gradually turned into resounding self-confidence and unequivocal decision-making.