Columns

Macron’s secular advocacy threatens French Muslims’ religious freedom

In emphasizing the principle of laïcité (French secularism), Macron assumes a hands-off approach to his treatment of all religions except for Islam. This is exactly the discrimination that a secular state was created to avoid. 

Just leave us alone, Robby George

Robbie George is not interested in understanding; he merely intends to tyrannize.

After students experienced racism abroad, Bridge Year failed to act. Performative efforts today are too little, too late.

My conversations with Bridge Year alumni reveal the harsh reality that the well-being of students of color has not been a priority for the Bridge Year administration. And now, it appears the administration is only taking action because student concerns have become too loud to ignore.  

What Princeton students can learn from selective storytelling in ‘The Crown’

I cannot help but wonder if this is the story Netflix should be telling. Why seek to humanize the leaders of a violent, oppressive empire, while depicting the lives of the Black and brown people they harmed as mere backdrops? I understand that this is perhaps the way those people existed within the lives of royals, but why are we giving these royals the privilege of remaining relevant in our lives? 

In praise of his folly: Newman’s empty crusade against elitism

The elitism identified by Newman is all too prevalent. But he is not the antidote; he is its logical extension. The only way to differentiate oneself from Princeton’s elitism is to actually help the world and topple people like Newman from their thrones of self-styled cultural supremacy.  And it is this consciousness, rather than the subpar model of a Gatsby, that should animate any practice that seeks not only to overcome the standard Princeton elitism, but the self-humiliating pretensions of Newman himself.

The elitism identified by Newman is all too prevalent. But he is not the antidote; he is its logical extension. The only way to differentiate oneself from Princeton’s elitism is to actually help the world and topple people like Newman from their thrones of self-styled cultural supremacy.  And it is this consciousness, rather than the subpar model of a Gatsby, that should animate any practice that seeks not only to overcome the standard Princeton elitism, but the self-humiliating pretensions of Newman himself.

What we can learn from the Scott Newman controversy

Read in one light, Newman’s account paints a fairly innocuous picture of a naïve young person whose short-term ambitions have repeatedly gotten in the way of his long-term goals. But there is a critical omission in Newman’s public telling of this story: his own agency in navigating a system he condemns as corrupting and beyond repair. 

Read in one light, Newman’s account paints a fairly innocuous picture of a naïve young person whose short-term ambitions have repeatedly gotten in the way of his long-term goals. But there is a critical omission in Newman’s public telling of this story: his own agency in navigating a system he condemns as corrupting and beyond repair. 

A game of broken telephone: Combatting misinformation and building trust

We should work to expose misinformation. Princeton students have already done this by tracing COVID-19 misinformation. The next step is to build up a community that allows for citizens to work together to stymie spews of suspicious stories.

The perils — and potential — of the Twitter professoriate

When our professors are able to lean into their pedagogical missions more intentionally on platforms like Twitter, it does us all better — and reminds us that the democratizing power of scholarship and critical thought, even squeezed into 280 characters, is not to be underestimated.

2020: An ugly but necessary memory

With two vaccines for COVID-19 entering new phases of testing, a semester on campus, and a new year fast approaching, some people are justifiably itching to move on. These developments should undoubtedly be celebrated, as should the prospect of a fresh start. But, just like my friend, we cannot forget everything we have been through: Instead, should find creative and healthy ways to catalogue all that has happened in 2020.

But who’s gonna support Black women?

At the end of the day, no matter how much we express gratitude for Black women, if we fail to acknowledge the ways oppressive forces mold our society against them, we are complicit in their oppression. 

Who are these ‘manly men’?

The phrase “bring back manly men” sets our society back years. Men, no matter their assigned sex, should be able to dress how they want. But this is an issue that is bigger than wardrobe. Society perpetuates the idea that men have to be strong or “manly” all the time. The term “manly” already confines men into a box, but this idea actually creates more harm for men themselves. 

Forged by fire, our generation faces its defining crucible

And when we push — with peaceful movements or record-breaking youth turnout in elections — we decide. 

As a non-citizen, I can’t vote. I still care about U.S. elections.

While voting might be the highest point in the perceived hierarchy of political participation, we can make our concerns and needs heard.

Housing must revise and clarify its disability accommodations process for on-campus spring

Allowing disabled students control over their roommates and implementing a reasonable, transparent, and well-advertised appeals process are absolutely non-negotiable for the University to truly attend to the needs of its disabled student community. This is especially true because the Housing Accommodations process has been historically unreliable, and in particular, explicitly discriminatory against students with mental and invisible disabilities.

Amid COVID-19, we stand to benefit from interfaith dialogue

Although the opportunities for interfaith interactions afforded by Princeton’s campus are impossible to recreate, I urge us all to make room for interfaith dialogue in our lives. 

‘Speak Freely,’ except on fossil fuel divestment

It’s time to question Princeton’s romanticized view of free speech. 

Something about scandal

The news is a town hall of ideas and should encourage an intellectualism that supports that, not a critique of character based on isolated instances of wrongdoing. 

Beyond the language requirement: Allow ASL its rightful place at Princeton

ASL can and does belong at the University, which needs to demonstrate that it respects ASL’s status as a natural language and recognize ASL’s contributions to scholarship by securing a place for the language and its culture on campus without further delay.

Amid uncertainty, an opportunity for growth

Over the last several months, something new has taken hold within and around us. It’s not just uncertainty about what lies ahead. It’s a sort of meta-uncertainty: an unstable framework of constantly shifting time horizons that offers a poor foundation for decision-making. A long and uncomfortable silence in response to the question, “when do we finally get to know again?”

Competitive strugglers: Why we need to stop the contest for misery

The solution is simple but requires deep introspection: In order to prevent such divisions in our own community, we need empathy and understanding. We must simply be willing to acknowledge the problems that the other faces. Mutual recognition of one another’s difficulties will help advance understanding in a divided environment; it can help create a dialogue and a discussion, rather than a competition.