Opinion

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 […]

The organizations at UC Davis who have been accused of heresy and abuse By NEVAEH KARRAKER — nakarraker@ucdavis.edu “That’s a cult.” When an anonymous UC Davis student was in her first year, this was what her Davis Christian Fellowship (DCF) Bible study leader told her about a fellow UC Davis campus-based Christian ministry, Grace Alive. […]

Analyzing fictional scenarios indicates how you perceive the world By VIOLET ZANZOT— vmzanzot@ucdavis.edu My first year at UC Davis coincided with Joey Graziadei’s season on “The Bachelor,” which meant big things for the world of reality TV and potentially bigger things for the foundation of my personal theory on media literacy: You can learn a […]

Learning pop culture as a Third Culture Kid By ABHINAYA KASAGANI — akasagani@ucdavis.edu For as long as I can remember, the joke always went over my head. Growing up as a second-generation child automatically disqualified me from getting most references, and my parents had differing beliefs that there were bigger priorities than catching the season […]

Love is on the way By THE EDITORIAL BOARD — opinion@theaggie.org   ‘Tis the season of love and loneliness. From the recently broken-hearted and the long-jaded bachelors to the hopeful lovebirds and delusional yearners, each Valentine’s Day ushers in a complex slew of emotions. No matter how you are feeling as the holiday approaches, rejoice […]