Column

The battle to mobilize voters this November is already on With all the uncertainty regarding the 2020 presidential election, there is one surefire guarantee: The outcome will depend on how well either side can mobilize non-voters. America’s hyperpolarization has effectively limited the number of persuadable voters over the last several election cycles. To put it […]

Billie Eilish’s success is a combination of hard work, privilege Thank you, Billie Eilish, for making me feel that I have nothing to show for in my life. At 18, she won five Grammys and made herself one of the most magnetic figures in the music industry. At 18, I spent my senior year making […]

The nation’s past issues with transparency may come back to haunt the government during the pandemic “Under control” are the two words President Vladmir Putin used to describe Russia’s current management of COVID-19. And up until recently, the numbers reported seemed to be saying that too.  Despite Russia’s large population and close border with China, […]

Through a deliberate decades-long campaign of ethnic cleansing, Turkey eradicated its minority communities and denied their history. Now it’s time to speak up. Deep in the heart of the Syrian desert, some 280 miles east of Damascus, lie the ruins of the Armenian Genocide Martyrs’ Memorial. Constructed in 1990, the memorial long served as a […]

Although unprecedented, we can still take advantage of this free time Simple pleasantries such as small talk with a coworker, catching up with a friend over coffee or even hugging your loved one have become rare and almost entirely forbidden. As the number of COVID-19 cases rise, the importance of social distancing has become more […]

Fashion is not just an outward display of culture, but a way to connect to it   Wedding season is generally a happy time for all, but it’s especially meaningful for Punjabis. It’s a chance to finally see family from various continents who we haven’t seen in years, party for a straight week and, of course, […]

What Russia’s early obsession with fast food implies Just two years before the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, over 30,000 customers flocked to the opening of the very first McDonald’s in Moscow. They formed a line that snaked around several blocks and waited more than eight hours. With an average salary of 150 […]

In this time of turmoil, music is here for us  The Internet has become an unlikely hero in all of our lives. Something that we took for granted every day (I see you, mindless TikTok scrollers) is now our lifeline. I attend my Zoom lectures in the dining room across from my mother’s daily work […]

A break from consumerism can allow us to appreciate what we have  I have three consistent coping mechanisms for bad days: dark chocolate, Gilmore Girls and buying new earrings. My obsession with earrings could make me the poster child for American consumerism. Most of the earrings I buy are meaningless. I spend two minutes deciding […]

Democrats, Republicans and the battle for the soul of America At the Republican National Convention in 1992, the controversial conservative political commentator Pat Buchanan declared that the country was in a “struggle for the soul of America.”  Just a few months earlier, Buchanan was on the offensive, leading a populist attack against the same reigning […]

Russia’s protest group is telling of its political dissonance On Feb. 21, 2012, a group of women wearing colorful ski masks and carrying electric guitars stormed the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia. In what they would later call a “punk prayer,” the women jumped around, crying “Mother of God, drive Putin away!” […]

Streaming is the biggest threat to stars like Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber  Before streaming, buying iTunes gift cards occupied the top of my Christmas list. I spent hours deciding which songs I wanted to buy. Would I spend my last $1.29 on an old favorite or the newest chart-topper?  When I was a freshman […]