OPINION

11/27/2022, 7:33pm

The Slate Speaks: Is Black Friday a good thing?

By Slate Staff

It’s safe to assume that of the many holidays, Thanksgiving is the one that gets it the worst. Not only do you have more and more people ignoring its existence in order to get to Christmas faster, but it also has to share the day with one of the worst holidays: Black Friday. There’s no true origin of the Black Friday we know today, but the concept has virtually remained the same since its inception. Retail stores around the country post their best deals and discounts on the night of Thanksgiving all through the following Friday. 

11/27/2022, 7:32pm

What makes a good educator?

By Caitlyn Shetter

 All throughout high school I couldn’t wait to get to college to have competent professors. Many of my high school teachers were lackadaisical and didn’t care about how students performed in their class, and my college experience hasn’t been much different. You shouldn’t choose to be an educator if you can’t teach, but sadly many people do. 

11/27/2022, 7:31pm

Ticketmaster deserves all the karma coming its way

By Grace Harbour

What fans hoped would be a smooth ticket-buying process soon turned catastrophic. The immense amount of traffic caused Ticketmaster’s site to crash, and many fans were stuck in the queue for hours before they could purchase tickets – or at least attempt to. Ticketmaster released an update on Twitter, saying they were dealing with a “historically unprecedented demand.” 

11/27/2022, 7:33pm

Giving up in the best way: My journey to reject outrageous beauty standards

By Madi Shively

It’s a rainy Friday morning. I’m in my dorm, scrolling through TikTok as any college student does (I’ve finished my homework – don’t worry mom.) I’m filtering through all the targeted ads filled with perfect people with trim waists and porcelain skin. I know these ads know something about me: I’m a teenage girl in college.

11/27/2022, 7:32pm

You can do better than Hallmark this Christmas

By Adam Beam / Asst. Opinion Editor

I’m always willing to overlook some of the weaker parts of movies like these because they just fill me with that warm holiday feeling. With that being said, when a Christmas movie is bad, it can ruin my spirit immensely – especially if I’m the only one who seems to feel this way. I’m, of course, referring to the endless mountain of garbage that is Hallmark Christmas Movies. 

11/15/2022, 3:28pm

So, your parents are conservative...now what?

By Monika Lewis

As a Political Science major, I am no stranger to talking about politics, especially over the holidays. In fact, as college students, many of us return home and our family assumes that, regardless of major, we are all studying to be scientists of politics, and take that as an open invitation to talk politics whether we want to or not. So, even if you aren’t a Political Science major, you most likely still have these discussions because you’re likely a young college student. All the older generations know that you are a part of the population of people who may or may not be voting (Public Service Announcement: I hope everyone voted this midterm election). 

11/15/2022, 3:27pm

Stop resurrecting the dead for your movies

By Adam Beam / Asst. Opinion Editor

I recently checked out “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Even though the studio spent months and months reassuring us that Chadwick Boseman would not be brought back in CG form, I still went into the movies hesitant seeing how Hollywood seemingly cannot get enough of this practice. Taking either a recently deceased or long-since dead actor or actress and bringing them back to life through visual effects is, frankly, disgusting.

11/15/2022, 3:25pm

The Grammys and the lack of Black representation

By Tyler Hill

The real thing we should be looking for is black representation at awards like this. Black culture has been stolen from and mocked for decades, especially in the music industry. Looking back to 2018, Shawn Carter, also known as Jay-Z, was the most nominated artist of the night with eight nominations for his album 4:44.

11/15/2022, 3:21pm

The Slate Speaks: Why can't we be friends?

By Slate Staff

The interconnectedness of the internet has made mob mentality so much more powerful. It is easy to jump on the hate train when thousands of other people you’ve never met are already doing it. We’re also living in one of the most polarizing times of recent decades, where people draw definitive lines between those like them and those who have different ideas. 

11/8/2022, 12:00pm

The unspoken scum of toxic fandoms on Youtube

By Adam Beam / Asst. Opinion Editor

You know what’s the hardest part about being part of a fandom? Having to accept that there’s a strong chance your fandom is toxic. Speaking for myself, I consider myself a pretty big fan of Marvel, DC, Star Wars and other popular franchises. However, it feels with each passing day I have to conceal said love more and more. 

11/8/2022, 12:00pm

The Slate Speaks: Is it too early to celebrate Christmas?

By Slate Staff

It’s 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 31. The luckiest trick-or-treaters are sneaking one more piece of candy before bed and others are enjoying their sugar-induced night of sleep. But for some, they anxiously watch their phone until the second it becomes 12:00 a.m. on Nov. 1. It’s Christmas time! Or is it? There is an annual debate over when it is appropriate to begin recognizing the Christmas season, and 2022 is no exception.

11/8/2022, 12:00pm

Decision 2024: The candidates, politicians, and names you need to know

By Luke Rainey

The 2022 midterm elections mark the halfway point of President Joe Biden’s first term in office, meaning the road to the 2024 presidential election is fast approaching. Both parties have crucial decisions to make within the next two years that will decide whether they control the Oval Office on Jan. 20, 2025.

11/8/2022, 12:00pm

No vote, no voice: Talking politics

By Caitlyn Shetter

This year, millions of Americans will exercise their constitutional right to vote in the midterm elections, but many will actively ignore this privilege and avoid the polls. Some of these people will still take their opinion to the internet or the ears of those nearby.  While you are allowed to have political opinions and speak your mind, you shouldn’t complain about election results you didn’t participate in. 

11/8/2022, 12:00pm

Why you need to vote today

By Ian Thompson

If you’re anything like me, you have been inundated with ads, text messages, emails and campaign materials for the past 18 months from every candidate who has your address and phone number. While it can get exhausting, it is important to remember why all of this is happening: you need to vote!

11/1/2022, 12:00pm

ShipYak: Helping or Hurting Campus?

By Madi Shively

For those who are fortunate enough not to know, Yik Yak, an app predominantly used by college students, is a social media app where users can post, or “yak,” to an anonymous message board that is visible to anyone within a 5-mile radius. Those who view the Yak then have the choice to upvote or downvote the post, deciding whether to make it more or less popular. Yaks that receive five or more downvotes are removed from the feed. 

11/1/2022, 12:00pm

The Slate Speaks: Has entertainment become lazy?

By Slate Staff

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, everything changed, including the entertainment industry. Productions were shut down, films and series were delayed, and some content was canceled altogether. As the entertainment world tried to work with the circumstances they were given, audiences and fans were much more forgiving if the quality of the work was not on par with material that came before it. Fans were simply happy to get anything at all

11/1/2022, 12:00pm

The Right is Laying the Foundation for Genocide

By Ian Thompson

I have talked before about the danger that the right wing poses to American democracy. But there is another danger lurking which has recently gained more traction on the right The growing persecution of the LGBTQ community. Genocide Watch, an organization focused on the prevention of genocide, created a system to describe how genocide develops. Its founder, Gregory Stanton, describes the process in a series of ten stages.

10/25/2022, 12:00pm

Stop dissing my sisters

By Elizabeth Peters / Managing Editor & Head Copy Editor

 This past July, I took my sisters to see “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” and I wanted to leave less than halfway through. My urge to evacuate was not because the movie was childish, as I had expected that going in. Rather, I was extremely annoyed by one of the main villains: “Nun-Chuck.”