The Signal

Serving the College since 1885

Saturday February 28th

Opinions


Rappers produce songs with lyrics lacking substance, whereas MCs such as Kendrick Lamar produce more complex content. (Photo courtesy of Flickr / Jon Elbaz, June 7, 2012)

OPINION: Too many rappers, not enough MCs

Speaking through songs reaches countless people. After all, everyone listens to music. Songs promote ideas, and ideas promote change. Gen-Z cares more about change than any other living generation, and famous artists miss the opportunity to communicate relative and valuable information.

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The College's Tap Ensemble, performing for Homecoming, 2023. (Photo by Briana Keenan / Correspondent)

OPINION: Passions often shift at the college level

Transitioning into and out of different phases of my life, I have realized that the pastimes I once saw as my main passions have shifted. Although the future is uncertain, I am excited to embark on a new journey and continue learning; and at the end of the day, I know that I will end up where I am meant to be in my career.

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A person’s politics are shaped by many factors including their upbringing, lived experiences, religion, race and socioeconomic status. (Photo courtesy of Flickr / dhendrix73, Feb. 2, 2012)

OPINION: People are more than their politics

At the end of the day, people are defined by how they treat and respect others and their desire for self-betterment – not by their politics. When you think of who you are as a person, is the first thing that comes to mind politics? I guarantee you that it’s not.

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Author Ali Hazelwood continues to inspire women of all ages through her romance novels. (Photo courtesy of Flickr / FutUndBeidl, June 10, 2012)

OPINION: Ali Hazelwood is changing the romance genre

Ali Hazelwood's books have a central and sustained pattern in which the storylines and the characters all have some connection to science, tech, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Hazelwood has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and understands the challenges women face in the field, ranging from imposter syndrome to discriminatory work settings to being the only woman in a male-dominated room. Regarding these struggles, she takes her real-life experiences and shares them through her characters, demonstrating the hardships women like herself must face to excel.

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RateMyProfessors is a website consisting of reviews written by students, about their professors. (Photo by Kate Zydor / Opinions Editor)

OPINION: RateMyProfessors reviews should be taken with a grain of salt

“Oh, I checked their RateMyProfessors and it was horrible — don’t take a class with them,” is a sentence frequently heard on college campuses around the country. A website that lets students speak candidly about their experiences with professors seems like a useful tool, and a lot of students swear by the platform. While there are definite positives that come from RateMyProfessors, there are downsides that need to be addressed.

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(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / “Book Banning Protest, Atlanta, GA” by John Ramspott / Feb. 12, 2022)

OPINION: No more ‘Hair Love’: The most ridiculous book banning

In the children’s picture book, “Hair Love,” by Matthew A. Cherry, a little girl struggles to style her natural curly hair. Her dad realizes what his daughter is experiencing and despite his doubts about his abilities, he immediately steps in to give his child a hand. A picture book about a father helping his daughter style her hair could never be banned, right? It can if the father and daughter in question are Black.

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(Photo courtesy of Flickr / “snapchat” by Stock Catalog / July 9, 2018)

OPINION: The dystopian reality of Austin McBroom

Family vlogging, the idea of filming one’s children to upload on social media to garner views and fame, is a rather new concept that has only gained popularity in the past 15 years. Some families become so famous for vlogging that their children become more like cash cows instead of tiny humans with sentience who are affected by their parent’s actions. This cannot be more true for the ACE Family.

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Photo courtesy of Flickr

OPINION: Civility is dead — Just check the comments section

In today’s society, there is a widely held belief that if people choose to post themselves on social media, they are deserving of any criticism that results from them having an online presence, even an assault on their very existence. It has become commonplace to attack people through social platforms based on qualities that can be construed as “irritating.”

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The Super Bowl halftime show is a near-mythological pop-culture event. (Photo courtesy of Flickr / “Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl LII Halftime Show, Minneapolis MN” / February 6, 2018)

OPINION: Great halftime shows have three key elements

The Super Bowl halftime show has rightfully gained a legacy as being a huge honor for the artist chosen. As far as testaments to one’s artistic ability go, successfully swaying the audience at the Super Bowl is perhaps the pinnacle. A successful halftime show is a complicated formula of varying factors, factors that ensure that a performance will be successful, or in other words, memorable.

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Students in a clinical or practicum must follow their district's schedule in the event of a snow day (Photo by Shane Gillespie / Photo Editor)

OPINION: Snow days should apply to everyone, including student teachers

The College needs to heavily reconsider what they expect of student teachers on snow days. There is currently a rule that all students in a clinical or practicum are expected to follow their district’s schedule and go to their respective placements in the event of a snow day. This is risking the safety of our students, which can be prevented if we can follow the College’s schedule rather than the respective districts.

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Streaming services are the most popular platforms through which Americans watch television (Photo courtesy of Flickr).

OPINION: Today’s streaming services are underwhelming

Gone are the days of cable TV, as streaming services are more convenient for people who want to binge-watch movies or one of their favorite shows. Despite this, the quality of such services is often not discussed. If you have most of these streaming platforms, you’ll be able to access a wide variety of great movies and shows. Individually, however, I believe that most of them have glaring problems.

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“Midnights” pales in comparison to Swift’s other works (Photo courtesy of Apple Music).

OPINION: ‘Midnights’ didn’t deserve AOTY at the Grammys

The Grammys this year pleasantly surprised me. However, despite the many successes of the night, I couldn’t help but scowl at my TV when they awarded Taylor Swift her fourth Album of the Year win for her tenth studio album, “Midnights.” “Midnights,” with its confused writing, lackluster production and stale context leaves me with a cynical suspicion – that it won not because of its quality, but rather because of the huge year that Swift had.

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Photo courtesy of Flickr

OPINION: There must be more non-stereotypical Black characters in TV and film

When you hear the phrase “Black TV and film,” what’s the first movie or show that pops into your head? “Boyz In The Hood?” “Friday?” “Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air?” “Roots?” “12 Years a Slave?” “Madea?” Not to diminish the greatness of those shows and films, but I believe that Black Hollywood is overly saturated with shows and films that center around harmful Black stereotypes or slave period pieces. 

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Photo by Elizabeth Gladstone / Multimedia Coordinator

OPINION: Technology cannot determine chemistry

Finding a romantic partner isn’t always as easy as it looks. While some people seem to literally bump into their soul mate, others have trouble making that “stars-aligned” connection. Enter social media apps. The solution for all your dating woes – or so we thought. With just one swipe, friend request or direct message on apps such as Tinder, Snapchat and Instagram, we can connect to and communicate with potential partners.

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