eing published concurrently with this very op-ed you are reading right now is what can only be called a horrendously self-indulgent bit of fluff in the variety section entitled "The Op-Ed Writer." The writer of this piece has, through a terribly incoherent medium, tried to lay out her critiques of opinions and editorials, with a particular nod to my writing in particular...
Dear Editor, Lawrence University outed me more than a year ago, and ever since then, I have been dealing with...
As this term comes to an end, conversations about winter break plans naturally begin to arise. As with many things, Lawrentians tend to make a competition out of winter break. Despite this sort of game being insanely ironic, considering the word “break” is in the phrase, I’m feeling pretty anxious about sharing my plans with others, worried I’ll be perceived as too lazy.
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about LUCC’s pending decision on the recognition of a pro-life group on campus. In so doing, I argued for why such a group would be a boon to campus, and why I believe abortion is anti-human and anti-progress. Since then, I’ve received responses both public and private — thank you to all who have done so — and it seems useful to the campus discourse to elaborate further on why I think the way I do about such an ethically and emotionally difficult subject.
The past few months of national news have been dominated by the debate over Joe Biden’s agenda, and the Reconciliation Bill vs the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. In 2020, during the Democratic Primary, candidate Bernie Sanders proposed $16 Trillion in spending for infrastructure and climate change. He was not the candidate, unfortunately, and by the time Biden was inaugurated, climate groups had brought that down to $10 Trillion. President Joe Biden compromised and asked for $6 Trillion. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who is allegedly a Democrat, asked for $4 Trillion in spending.
Since the 1970s, oil companies have been knowingly destroying the environment. Corporations like Exxon-Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Aramco, Chevron and Texaco have played some of the biggest parts in this. Texaco and Chevron, which merged in 2001, are the specific companies I will be discussing, but they’re all complicit.
At the beginning of the term, I submitted a letter outlining some of the goals I have as editor-in-chief and some of the changes that have been made within our organization. I’m back with an update!
I can’t quite say that I expected to witness the captivating sight of my scantily-clad peers running through the Warch cinema with a large dildo in tow when I envisioned my college experience. Nor did I foresee myself yelling “slut” at the same screen I watched freshmen orientation presentations on during welcome week. Yet, these two occurrences both highlighted the Halloween weekend of my third year in college.
Aloofness is out, and having emotions is in. If I had easy access to any roofs, I’d shout those words from atop them; instead, I’ll settle for writing this article with as much conviction as a tabloid gossip columnist. I may not be able to cite any hard data or experts in the field, but I’ve sure got a hunch that being cool and distant really lost its edge in a world where, for a while, that was the only option. It’s just so much hotter to be in touch with your feelings.
Last month I got scammed and promptly cancelled my debit card, and since then Spotify has been sending me a lot of threatening emails saying, “You better update your payment information, or we’re gonna take away your Student Premium membership.”