Tolerance on College Campuses

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Tolerance is a frequent topic of conversation in today’s culture, particularly on our nation’s campuses. It seems that people bend over backwards to convince others, and perhaps themselves, of their own tolerance, taking pride and self-satisfaction in how accepting they are of members of a different race, gender, religion, sexual persuasion, or just about anything. I say “just about” because there is definitely one area where, for many people, there is zero tolerance – politics.

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A Country Divided

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The United States has never seen a more politically divided climate. With candidates like Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, voters have taken sides and have continued to deepen their political stances.
In addition, social media platforms have allowed more connection among like-minded individuals. These echo chambers create an atmosphere lacking political discourse. Increasingly, people don’t have to interact with those of differing opinions, which tends to create two sides who do not want to interact. These differences appear to affect everyday life as well, with more people saying they simply can’t stand to speak with those who, for example, support a rival candidate.

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When Personality Trumps Good Governance

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The annual State of the Union address was a spectacle this year. Cameras panned to an obviously split House chamber after each sentence from President Trump. One side applauded enthusiastically while the other side sat stone-faced. Besides its theatrics, this year’s State of the Union address brought forward an important question: Can we look past disdain for a politician’s character in order to work with them to enact policy?

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On The New Curator

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A London publisher, Laurence King, observed: “How many times have you heard the term ‘curate’ in the past few years? But what exactly does it mean? Curating has been a key concept both in and outside the art world in the past few years, with the role of a curator having changed and expanded with each new exhibition or biennale.”

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Is Joe the New Jack?

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Congressman Joe Kennedy III of Massachusetts delivered the Democratic response to President Trump’s State of the Union address last week. Speaking to a small audience in Fall River, Massachusetts, Kennedy elicited a range of responses during CNN’s live Facebook stream. One of the most-liked comments on the stream came from an older man who said he “closed his eyes and heard him.” Other commenters were quick to agree that Joe Kennedy III sounded like his great-uncle, the 35th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy.

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The Murder of Blaze Bernstein

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Over winter break, a college student from my hometown went missing.
Blaze Bernstein, a 19-year-old at the University of Pennsylvania, disappeared after going to a park in Orange County, California with a friend late at night while home from college. Police officers and community volunteers scoured the area for days, circulating posts on social media and holding out hope that he would be found alive.

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