Dear Jessandra, Modern society is too complex. I want to be a responsible and engaged citizen, but I don’t feel like I’ll ever understand enough about politics and history to…
White men can be terrorists too
It’s time to acknowledge and identify the repetitive profile of mass shooters in the United States Sandy Hook, Charleston, Las Vegas, Umpqua, Sutherland Springs, and so on. The emotional wounds…
Gender studies should be a requirement for all majors
Behold an alarming statistic: According to the office for Institutional Research and Planning, of the 115 gender-based courses or courses with the word “woman” in the title offered at Portland…
How university art galleries fail their students
If your university has a visual arts program, I would bet there is at least one art gallery on campus. Portland State has six. While art students might be aware…
Socialism: You say you want a revolution
Socialism is back. Today, more young people in the United States express positive opinions of the socialist ideology than ever before. An October 2016 YouGov poll identified 53 percent of…
Free speech deserves protection from all sides
The phrase “freedom of speech” actually means “freedom of speech with consequences.” Free speech is among the most important tools we have as human beings, but unfortunately, human emotion can…
The grace of replays in the age of Trump
Following a sports team and the passion that comes with this dedication is a curious phenomenon of intangibles. For one, you see athletes performing tasks and accomplishing a seemingly impossible…
Cops need to stop killing people
Lethal and excessive force weakens community trust Police keep killing people they shouldn’t, from 12-year-old Tamir Rice to 43-year-old father of six Eric Garner. Cops keep being scared and accidentally…
Alt-meat: seeking solutions to unethical factory farming
Even hard-core meat lovers can admit the meat industry partakes in cruel practices and the unnecessary torture of animals. Founder and Executive Director of Factory Farming Awareness Coalition Katie Cantrell…
Understanding Contemporary Art: Did I Miss the Point?
How do you feel when an artwork in such a formal space doesn’t make sense to you? A piece might have a hollow taste to it, or maybe its radical…
‘Star Trek’ still boldly representing as no one has represented before
Star Trek is back again on our screens—or rather streaming—with its latest incarnation: Star Trek: Discovery. Originating in 1966, the show has been considered not only groundbreaking in terms of sci-fi concepts…