Column

Collecting cotton tote bags is not as eco-conscious as you think Plastic bag bans are becoming more common worldwide, which is a change for the better. It’s a wonderful thing that we are slowing their spread, since plastic bags dispense endless amounts of forever-around plastic particles into the environment. With the litany of problems our […]

Students, professors and community members can send their pieces to opinion@theaggie.org My name is Eden Winniford, and I’m the editor for The California Aggie’s opinion and humor desks this year. The opinion desk not only gives student columnists, humorists and cartoonists the opportunity to share their thoughts with the campus community weekly, but it also […]

Public Lands are inherently valuable and don’t need commercial value to warrant protection I’ve read a lot of articles recently detailing lengthy lists of why we should protect public lands. There is always a new angle coming out, whether it’s the mental health benefits of green spaces or the incalculable economic value of their ecosystem […]

In entertainment, individuals with accents are often reduced for comedic effect, while in the workplace they lose credibility  In “Modern Family,” Sofia’s Vergara’s character Gloria Pritchett is known for her exaggerated accent and misnomers of the English language; while her accent works primarily for comedic effect, Vergara’s character also breaks down the sobering reality of […]

It’s impossible to make Instagram “casual” again I’ve always been impressed by people who could cultivate perfect Instagram themes.  Whether it’s a certain border, filter or pattern of posts, themes are generally used to define a user’s account and personal style.     There’s a new calling, however, that is making its rounds on social media […]

We need to shift how we think about sustainability before it becomes a privilege and not an expectation Many of you might’ve seen recent misleading statements on Instagram about how watching 30 minutes of Netflix has the carbon footprint of driving roughly four miles. I doubt that any of you read that and went “damn […]

Asian American food and culture are fixtures until they are othered America loves Asian food and culture until they don’t—and efforts to save local Chinatowns and support Asian American businesses during Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month reproduce a relationship between Asia and America that is based on consumption and commodity, but without […]

The Model Minority Myth is engineered to tell one version of the Asian American Dream What is the Asian American dream? Since the 1960s, the Model Minority Myth (MMM) has praised Japanese and Chinese immigrants not only for their seamless integration into American life, but also “empirical evidence [of their] success” drawing from “high-status occupations, […]

One-size-fits-all solutions to mental health conditions need to stop Whenever I choose to forgo my responsibilities and open Instagram I am greeted by one of three things: an exciting, yet impossible makeup tutorial, a picture of an old friend from middle school or posts regarding any of a few mental health conditions. I used to […]

Soldiers don’t get to pick their own battles, so stop treating them like they do Being willing to put your life on the line is the ultimate sacrifice. Standing in the face of danger for your country is an incredibly noble thing to do, and veterans need to be treated like it, regardless of the […]

Approximately 25,000 barrels of toxic chemicals were found off the coast of LA after sitting for decades Cancerous sea lions. What might sound like a Cards Against Humanity card has actually turned out to be the key to a major, albeit terrifying, discovery. Last month, it was finally confirmed that thousands of barrels filled with […]

Media coverage of the opioid epidemic has significant impacts on policy and public sympathy Like 2 million Americans, George Floyd struggled with an opioid addiction. However, courtrooms and comment sections are devoid of sympathy for individuals like Floyd. Instead, his struggles with addiction have been put on trial.  The way Derek Chauvin’s defense transformed the […]