The Other War on Drugs: Superbugs and Antibiotic Resistance in the 21st Century
Humanity’s propensity for unbridled technological advancement has pushed us ever closer to the edge of a cliff. The industrial revolution riddled us with greenhouse gas emissions, and the Manhattan Project brought us to the brink of nuclear devastation more than once. Our powerful painkillers—once touted as a cure for debilitating chronic pain—are now one of […]
Policy Platform(s): The Dangers of Political Discourse through Social Media
On February 10th, a month into her first term in Congress, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) posted on her public Twitter profile. In months prior, she used Twitter to garner support for her congressional campaign and to share her story as an up-and-coming progressive leader. She later used the platform to celebrate becoming one of the […]
Sports as a Mirror to Society
Sports in America have evolved similarly to the country itself: with slow, painful change pushed by minorities and women risking everything to stand up and demand the right to play. Waves of change in sports are reflected in trends throughout society; each step forward for women’s sports have aligned with the different waves of feminism, […]
The Myth of Equal Opportunity
My parents peddled three myths to me as a child: the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, and American meritocracy. The “American Dream,” our national ethos of opportunity and success based on hard work, has been a mainstay of many immigrant parents, including mine, who come to the U.S. seeking a better life for themselves and their […]
Peremptory Challenges: A Barrier to Justice
In 1981, James Kirkland Batson, an African-American man from Kentucky, was charged with second-degree burglary and receipt of stolen goods. During voir dire (jury selection), the prosecution struck down all four potential black jurors using peremptory strikes, which allow lawyers to disqualify potential jurors without providing objection or justification. Though the defense and prosecution both […]
The Battle of Hodeidah and the World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis
The prominent theme of the Yemeni Civil War has unfortunately been extreme famine. It is another example of a poor, vulnerable population caught in the middle of a deadly clash. In fact, Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East, with a per capita GDP of just $1,300, according to 2017 estimates. Syria’s GDP […]
The Road to a Fairer Society
Without policy recommendations, complaints about economic inequality are as empty as complaints about the weather. We can criticize market outcomes and their adverse impacts, as I did with my second and first articles respectively. However, without an agenda for our elected officials, this criticism will remain in the realm of discussion, instead of actually improving […]
Is the Market Moral?
Feel-good Hollywood movies are a hallmark of American culture. From childhood Disney films like Aladdin and Cinderella, to classics like Rocky and Forrest Gump, American media saturates our screens with moral heroes who overcome challenges and earn deserved rewards, leaving the wicked villains with their just deserts. This fondness for satisfying endings isn’t new. During […]
Low Juror Compensation Harms Judicial Process
This article is the first installment of a column dedicated to addressing the problems jury duty both faces and creates. Juries often go undiscussed; when they are, the central theme is that juries are essential despite the associated inconveniences. My column will question why we remain passive about such an extremely flawed institution, especially when […]
The Degradation of Immigrants in America: An Analysis of Dehumanizing Linguistics
Language is one of the most distinguishable founding elements of humanity. It is a basic principle of human development and existence, determining every interaction and relationship. A well known psychological theory championed by Sapir-Whorf states that language isn’t simply how we voice our thoughts; it shapes our ideas and perceptions of reality.[1] In accepting this, […]