We believe this volume of diverse voices will begin a much-needed conversation with the DP’s far-reaching audience around the country, and this column can be a space from which readers engage, incite deeper understanding of our communities, learn and perhaps, above all, will want to change the conditions of our nation.
Opinion-Columns
Jonathan Iwry | Mind over melancholy
The outstandingly creative are frustrated with the ordinary; that’s what drives them to do extraordinary things.
Marjorie Ferrone | Women left out of Russian Europeanization
I’m not saying that the dawn of gender equality in Russia will be defined by risqué church-wear and male model stewards, but rather when society holds women and men to the same expectations.
Dani Blum | There’s more to our class than regrettable six-month-old posts
As fun as it is to call people out for being jerks online, it’s time to put an end to this — not just ridiculing the Facebook group, but relying on it at all. Just like everyone knows that one girl who looks nothing like her profile picture, it’s difficult to gauge someone’s true personality online. We told each other stories, we made each other laugh and cry, but the Facebook message you sent that guy three months ago is not a proper introduction.
Jonathan Iwry | Mind over melancholy
The outstandingly creative are frustrated with the ordinary; that’s what drives them to do extraordinary things.
Marjorie Ferrone | Women left out of Russian Europeanization
I’m not saying that the dawn of gender equality in Russia will be defined by risqué church-wear and male model stewards, but rather when society holds women and men to the same expectations.
Shawn Kelley | Civility under fire
It is time we stopped the verbal battery of others because we disagree with their opinions, and instead tackle the ideas with which we take issue.
Yuqian Li | What they don't teach you in textbooks
Our job is not just to consider all sides of an issue, but to be skeptical and challenge modern practices instead of taking things as given.
Melissa Lawford | To flee or not to flee
Being home means drinking a lot of tea and making the odd nostalgic trip to the terrible local nightclub where I once made out with my best friend’s older brother. Those are all very important things, but I cannot pretend that home is really where I belong now.
Jonathan Iwry | Occupying the past
The occupiers might have been brash and impetuous, but among students for whom majoring in econ almost inevitably equates to becoming libertarian and the Market is worshipped as an excuse for moral passivity, I can’t help but miss them.
Marjorie Ferrone | From Russia with love (and happiness)
I am not professing that indulgence and extravagance are the way to go; merely that money makes life easier, and science majors make more of it.
Annika Neklason | Yes we care
For whatever reason, what I haven’t heard about nearly as much is the positive: simply put, the fact that Obamacare is working.
Shawn Kelley | Bursting the comfort bubble
It seems more people are content to hide within their security blankets and pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist.
Melissa Lawford | The rally behind equal pay
Equal pay ought to be the norm everywhere. We are all people; being judged by the same standards matters, but having the same opportunities matters more.
Annika Neklason | Endanger zone
Unfortunately, Americans are abandoning the script and exercising their right to opt out of inoculation — and preventable diseases are now making a comeback as a result.
Yuqian Li | Staying grounded without concrete plans
It takes different people different amounts of time to experience that personal growth or find an alternative route, but most of the time, when people stay true to themselves, their life paths will align with what they value.
Jonathan Iwry | Dissentophobia: a societal condition
The real issue is not that Americans shy away from serious ideological debate, but that they are unwilling to take accountability for their ideas and, therefore, for the democratic process as a whole.
Marjorie Ferrone | Germany's four-letter word
Every country has a label. Some have been deliberately constructed by the homeland, while others have inadvertently grown out of a nation’s heritage.Those who have been following the 2014 FIFA World Cup are familiar with Brazil’s icon: the “Christ the Redeemer” statue.
Melissa Lawford | Snoozing isn't losing
I think boredom is important. I don’t know how much I like actually being on roller coasters, but I know that as soon as I get off, I want to get back on again.
Annika Neklason | Ballot measures
In a country of hundreds of millions of people, one vote does not give you assurance or control. But it does give you a voice.




