Top 5 columns from February
From the Alex Purdy video to Deadpool and even the “tampon tax,” Opinion has you covered.
Here are the most popular Opinion columns from the month of February.
Gender and Sexuality
Schmit: “And while any sort of leap toward visibility can be considered a win for the community, the fact that the few non-straight characters are almost exclusively created for the enjoyment of consumers that are men is problematic. We see a trend of lesbian superheroes, but rarely gay male ones, which reinforces the point that a woman’s sexual identity depends on a man’s validation.”
Gender and Sexuality columnist Brontë Schmit offered her thoughts on the box office success of Deadpool and its potential to amplify marginalized sexualities in mainstream Hollywood heading into its sequel.
Generation Y
Knapp: “The harmful nature of excessive posting on social media seems to be too often forgotten. Whether it means losing a job offer, undermining a relationship or posing a threat to personal security, oversharing is problematic. Instead of following in the footsteps of celebrities with no boundaries, millennials should set their profiles to private and leave some things a mystery.”
Generation Y columnist Tayler Knapp warned millennials of the dangers of oversharing online in response to the notorious and highly personal Twitter feud between Amber Rose, Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa in early February.
Liberal
Orland: “This is an opportunity for women to have their demands met, to educate the public on human rights and to make strides toward a more equal and accepting society — and New York state should be one of the first to make this happen.”
Liberal columnist Joanna Orland took on the “tampon tax” at the intersection of gender, sex and class injustice and argued that the tax should be abolished.
Tomasello: “The insinuation that a male candidate can’t advance feminist policy is passé. A vote for Sanders is not a vote against feminism. It is simply just delaying the milestone achievement of a president who is a woman on the timeline of the feminist movement.”
Liberal columnist Mia Tomasello took a strong stance against comments made by feminists Madeleine Albright and Gloria Steinem that suggested millennial women are betraying their gender by not supporting Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
Student Life
Jaipuriar: “Speaking out against such a celebrated institution — and possibly some of her friends — was probably out of the ordinary and a little risky, but Purdy’s decision to leave a place where she was unhappy and use her voice to inspire change is admirable. It reminds us that sororities should first and foremost be about sisterhood and genuine connections — ideals that can be forgotten if we become too focused on the social or shallow aspects.”
Student Life columnist Rashika Jaipuriar called on Syracuse University students to approach Alex Purdy’s viral #SororityRevamp video with an open mind and consider that Greek life shouldn’t be blindly placed on a pedestal, nor should it be written off as a negative experience based on Purdy’s video.
Published on February 29, 2016 at 10:35 pm