Opinion

You don’t know the life of a showgirl, babe By MOLLY THOMPSON – mmtthompson@ucdavis.edu  Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” released just 3 hours, 43 minutes prior to my writing this, and I’ve already listened to the whole thing twice. From just the promotion and aesthetics, it was evidently going to […]

From sidewalks to screens, policies to partition By NEVAEH KARRAKER — nakarraker@ucdavis.edu Sometimes the loud hammering of construction, beeping of trucks and barricaded roads make me question whether it’s even worth going to class. Sidewalks are unusable and classrooms are nearly inaccessible near the Touchdown Tower (one of UC Davis’ iconic water towers) as bike […]

Grok, is this true? By SABRINA FIGUEROA — sfigueroaavila@ucdavis.edu From asking ChatGPT to write an email to directing xAI’s Grok to fact-check a Pop Base post on X, artificial intelligence (AI) has us in a chokehold.  Since the first launch of ChatGPT-3.5 in November 2022, generative AI has been integrated into our lives — willingly […]

Exploring the toxicity of intellectual prejudice  By VIOLET ZANZOT— vmzanzot@ucdavis.edu I’ve never understood the true definition of “smart,” and yet, I can certainly say that I’ve spent too much time feeling dumb. It’s this weird, ambiguous feeling — to feel a certain way about your own intelligence — because, while it shouldn’t be, it can […]

Is diversity within the Trump administration indicative of progress or a deeper sociocultural movement? By GEETIKA MAHAJAN — giamahajan@ucdavis.edu This past month, FBI Director Kash Pramod Patel bewildered the majority of the United States at the funeral of right-wing zealot Charlie Kirk.  “Rest in peace brother,” Patel said into the microphone. “I’ll see you in […]

The Editorial Board’s guide to getting through the frat flu (or any other seasonal illness you may be facing)   By THE EDITORIAL BOARD — opinion@theaggie.org   It seems to be that time of year in Davis where people all around us are succumbing to the common cold or some other virus (the members of […]

Israel’s illegal boarding and detainment of activists, including Greta Thunberg, is unforgivable   By THE EDITORIAL BOARD — opinion@theaggie.org   On Sept. 1, the Global Sumud Flotilla — constituting 50 vessels and roughly 500 activists on board — set sail toward Gaza. On board the flotilla, there were representatives from 57 countries and more than […]

The detrimental cost of the government shutdown for the American people   By THE EDITORIAL BOARD — opinion@theaggie.org   A government shutdown, a phrase we often hear on what feels like a constant occurrence, is upon us yet again — not because of a natural disaster or a pandemic, but because Democrats and Republicans cannot […]

Learning from hindsight By MOLLY THOMPSON – mmtthompson@ucdavis.edu  As I enter my third year at UC Davis, I can’t help but return to the memories of the early days of my first year; In fall of 2023, I fell victim to the plight of many young adults living away from home for the first time […]

At what point does it stop calling out odd behavior and start reinforcing gender stereotypes? By SABRINA FIGUEROA — sfigueroaavila@ucdavis.edu  “I’m not going to tell you guys to vote for me because I don’t think men should tell women what to do,” a man in his 20s, holding a Bell Hooks novel and bright-green matcha […]

Exploring self-awareness as a critical, underrated form of intelligence built from challenging oneself and calculating risk By VIOLET ZANZOT— vmzanzot@ucdavis.edu On my flight to London this past Saturday, I watched two movies, slept awkwardly and sat with my headphones on, staring at the flight tracker in an attempt to settle my nerves and ease my […]

The paradoxical burden and beauty of femininity By NEVAEH KARRAKER — nakarraker@ucdavis.edu Approximately one in three women globally have experienced some form of sexual assault or abuse in their lifetime (not including sexual harassment), according to the World Health Organization and the United Nations Women. Women make up the majority of the population of domestic […]