Whether it was controversial, informative or debate-worthy, the Opinion columnists of The Daily Orange surely had something to say about it. From Amy Poehler’s show “Difficult People” to the rise of artificial intelligence, Opinion provided commentary on major events throughout fall 2015.

Here are the most popular editorials of the semester.

 

Business

Gutierrez: “Hunger never stops and neither should philanthropy.”

Business columnist Matthew Gutierrez argued that Syracuse-area restaurants should embrace food donation programs to help alleviate hunger and boost the local economy due to the positive association between consumers and social impact-oriented ventures.

Conservative

Razzi: “Many conservatives are in support of the death penalty because they believe that the punishment should be equivalent to the crime. However, taking a human life should not be, and really is not, that black and white.”

Conservative columnist Victoria Razzi examined the September execution of Kelly Gissendaner, the first woman to be executed in the state of Georgia in 70 years, and argued that the case shed light on the cruelty of the death penalty.

Environment

Cole: “It’s no coincidence that, out of all of the similar incidents environmental and animal rights groups try to bring to the public’s attention, this was both the story that gained the most traction and the story where the dead animal had a name.”

Environment columnist Azor Cole offered his take on the high-profile killing of Cecil the Lion and pointed out the hypocrisy of the West’s general reaction.

Gender and Sexuality

Colvin: “‘The Golden Rule” should be common sense, but society’s lack of asexual awareness has paved the way for toes to be stepped on.”

Gender and Sexuality columnist Caroline Colvin explained the importance asexual awareness in order to create safe spaces among peers, family and friends in response to a Buzzfeed video entitled “15 Poignant Asexual Confessions.”

Crockett: “At its core, it’s not about Blue Ivy–and that is exactly the problem–it originally never was.”

Gender and Sexuality columnist Elaina Crockett discussed how manifestations of “white feminism,” as exemplified by a scene in Amy Poehler’s show “Difficult People,” undermine the fight for equality for all women.

Generation Y

Gala: “Social stigmas make it hard to talk openly about STIs. But the truth is, most people already have herpes — and quite frankly, it’s just not that big of a deal.”

Generation Y columnist Alison Gala explained why society should trade its overreaction to herpes for an honest public dialogue on sexual health in light of a World Health Organization study that found two-thirds of the world under the age of 50 has oral herpes.

Liberal

Sullivan: “Voters are not compromising in mainstream politics, yet they are still too afraid to venture outside of the two parties. What they are looking for may lie beyond blue and red if they have the conviction to take it.”

Liberal columnist Keely Sullivan suggested that voters should not be hesitant to become involved with third-party politics, including the Green Party.

Beckley-Forest: “Anyone who wants to be president should be able to strongly defend their convictions on a televised stage before millions of voters who didn’t hock it out to the trail.”

Liberal columnist Thomas Beckley-Forest examined the 2016 Democratic debate schedule and explained why the limited number of debates could hurt the party and voters alike.

Pop Culture

DiBona: “She’s not clever like Taylor Swift, not artsy like Lorde and not sexually mature like Tove Lo. You’ve heard of those celebrities who are ‘famous for nothing,’ but [Selena] Gomez is ‘famous as nothing.’”

Pop Culture columnist Mark DiBona described how Selena Gomez’s non-descript music and persona puts her at a disadvantage against her female pop contemporaries, as exemplified by her singles “Good for You” and “Same Old Love.”

Student Life

Jaipuriar: “If the storm hits Syracuse University with the same force, the administration should do more than throw money and make changes for the sake of saying something is being done.”

Student Life columnist Rashika Jaipuriar responded to a diversity initiative implemented by Brown University earlier this year and suggested that increased dialogue among students can make lasting change, not forced hiring and policy measures.

Technology

Sarconi: “When the inevitable robot-human war does happen, Will Smith isn’t likely to be around to save us, and Arnold certainly won’t. The question is: who will?”

Technology columnist Paul Sarconi explained why humans should be skeptical of artificial intelligence advancement and the anticipated coexistence between man and robot.

Editorial Board

The Daily Orange Editorial Board: “It is in poor judgment on behalf of camera operators to direct the ‘Kiss Cam’ at the student section, but it should not be banned completely. With some basic rules and common sense, these incidents can be avoided moving forward.”

Following Syracuse University’s indefinite ban on the “Kiss Cam,” The Daily Orange Editorial Board discussed why caution should be used to prevent uncomfortable situations and instances of sexual harassment at sporting events.

Published on December 22, 2015 at 8:20 pm