Opinion

The evolution of Valentine’s Day rhetoric By ABHINAYA KASAGANI — akasagani@ucdavis.edu One cannot move through the world this time of year without being bombarded by the influx of Valentine’s Day emblems in red, pink or white — or the equally predictable wave of unmoving opinion pieces that have something to say. This article, however, refuses […]

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, enjoy some historical love stories By SABRINA FIGUEROA — sfigueroaavila@ucdavis.edu With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, the season of love is officially here. While the constant barrage of romantic rhetoric can become draining, I’ve learned that the best way to enjoy this time is by appreciating that love exists and […]

A new wave of feminism By NEVAEH KARRAKER — nakarraker@ucdavis.edu A night full of aesthetically pleasing snacks, photoshoots and the most ridiculous conversations about men — the bad dates and the new crushes and plenty of giggles — is quintessential girlhood. Who doesn’t love girl talk?  And yet, one thing in common with most women […]

Advice from an idealist  By MOLLY THOMPSON – mmtthompson@ucdavis.edu  I tend to think about romance a lot. I don’t know if it’s a product or a cause of my habits, but I’ve always had a not-insignificant portion of my maladaptive brainspace dedicated to fantasies of grandeur and melodrama. Maybe I can blame it on Taylor […]

How funny is too funny? By VIOLET ZANZOT— vmzanzot@ucdavis.edu How absolutely, unbelievably, unequivocally romantic was it when Frank Sinatra said: “Your looks are laughable, unphotographable yet you’re my favorite work of art”?  Undoubtedly, there is no other man who could call someone funny-looking and have it sound so very sweet.  The thesis of Sinatra’s message […]

What makes some romance novels better than others? By GEETIKA MAHAJAN — giamahajan@ucdavis.edu Like any other teenage girl, I spent my high school years completely enamoured with the romantic comedy (rom-com) genre. This obsession coincided with the rise of “BookTok,” a subgenre of TikTok users who use the app as a forum for book reviews […]

The rise of surveillance TV    By ABHINAYA KASAGANI — akasagani@ucdavis.edu   In 2024, when Rob Rausch dismissed Leah Kateb on national television in Love Island Season 6, my world was turned upside down. I had always prided myself, to some degree, on my faculty for consuming reality TV “ironically.” Yet, somehow, I found myself […]

Israel is reportedly using illegal and horrific thermobaric weapons against Palestinians   By THE EDITORIAL BOARD — opinion@theaggie.org    Since Oct. 7, 2023, mainstream media outlets have largely painted an inaccurate picture of the livelihoods and suffering of the Palestinian people. A genocide has been livestreamed and simultaneously mislabeled right before our eyes, with some […]

As the fourth anniversary of the invasion approaches, remember that the Russo-Ukrainian war continues to claim innocent lives   By THE EDITORIAL BOARD — opinion@theaggie.org    Nearly four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the environmental, economic and human costs are deafening. While coverage by American media remains scarce — mainly focusing […]

Recent memorable and political performances make the show an emerging stage for free speech   By SABRINA FIGUEROA — sfigueroaavila@ucdavis.edu While I’m not the biggest football fan, I do watch the Super Bowl for the performances — especially the Apple Music Halftime Show. In the past, they’ve had performances by Katy Perry, Beyoncé, Rihanna and more, […]

The First Amendment doesn’t have an AI exception By MILES BARRY —mabarry@ucdavis.edu Two days before the 2023 Slovak parliamentary election, an audio recording of Michal Šimečka, a Western liberal-leaning candidate, was widely shared online. The video depicted him bragging about rigging the vote, and, to make matters worse, a separate recording of him discussing raising […]

As protests go mainstream, their messages become more diluted By SAGE KAMOCSAY— skamocsay@ucdavis.edu Protest movements have grown in frequency and popularity over the last several years. Whether it’s Black Lives Matter, climate change activism, pro- and anti-abortion movements, Palestine protests or No Kings, millions of Americans participated in a protest for one cause or another […]