This is not going to be a fun ride. Much like the last three years of global COVID-19 pandemic upheaval—or the four years of Donald Trump’s molestation and domination of…
Are we addicted to our own distraction?
Reading words on a screen—or page when Vanguard gets the full-print treatment again—like this can be a real test of concentration. There is an ever-constant competition for our attention from…
Satire: Anger over Washington County’s new ban on flavored tobacco products
In November, the Board of County Commissioners voted in favor of Ordinance 878 to prohibit retail sales of flavored tobacco products in Washington County, becoming effective Jan. 1. This decision…
Believing in humankind
According to the American Humanist Association, “identifying as an atheist indicates that one does not have a belief system that includes a god.” As one who was continuously hurt by…
Embrace the space
The past two years have been collectively traumatizing—we continue to endure the unrelenting waves of a deadly global pandemic with all of its attendant isolation, upending of social ritual and…
Why can’t we just remain on top forever?
The topic of equity and social justice in higher education hits close to home for Portland State students—one of the so-called victims of the social justice warriors, former PSU philosophy…
People for which Portland?
As the costs of living and housing have surged, so has endemic houselessness leading to encampments all across the city of Portland. When the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered entire commercial districts,…
The white savior and Gold Star Christanity
“Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” This is just one of the many…
Is the Biden Administration doing enough to combat climate change?
“It’s not a plan that tinkers around the edges,” said President Joe Biden at a speech in Pittsburgh this past March. “It’s a once-in-a generation investment in America, unlike anything…
The Tokyo Olympics should not have happened
“What do we want?” shouted Satoko Itani at a protest in Tokyo on July 23rd. “Cancel the Olympics!” the crowd of protesters yelled back. To say that the 2021 Summer…
Dear Billionaires, We Already Have a Planet
I want to be funny about this so badly. There are so many jokes to make about this situation, from Jeff Beezus’s silly cowboy hat to his—and I cannot express…