Op-Eds
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Gigachads are taking over: The connection between mental health, "looksmaxxing," and extremism.
“Looksmaxxing” has exploded in popularity across social media as influencers like Clavicular become household names across the country. A combination of mental health issues, pseudoscience, propaganda, and far-right extremism threatens us all.
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Superbowl Half-Time Shows: Sensationalized messages
The Super Bowl halftime show has always been political; we are just more privy to the messages being shared in recent years. From marching bands to sensationalized political performances, the halftime show holds American identity and politics at its core.
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Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage begs the question: How do we appreciate women?
One episode of Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage exposes just how stringently our culture evaluates the significance of women's labor, revealing the impossible expectations placed on women both inside and outside the home.
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The pearls behind the Middle East
Long before oil became synonymous with the Middle East, pearls transformed the geopolitics of the Persian Gulf. The article explores how Britain used the region’s pearl trade to protect maritime routes to India, consolidate imperial power and create a legacy that continues to define the Middle East today.
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Female journalists: Don't just grin and bear it
Trump’s verbal abuse of female journalists is not just reprehensible; it’s unpresidential.
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Romanticism in the age of AI
As society grapples with the transformative potential of artificial intelligence, the Romantic Era offers us lessons for preserving human creativity and agency.
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The flag without the hat: patriotism, belonging, and the 2026 World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup briefly transformed American patriotism into something less partisan and more civic. As the tournament unfolded alongside debates over immigration and national identity, it revealed both the promise and the limits of belonging in America.
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We are witnessing a coup in Michigan. It must be stopped.
In funneling dark money to Haley Stevens’ campaign to defeat Abdul El-Sayed, corporate donors are attempting to quash a country-wide movement towards affordability and anti-corruption. They are scared of losing their grip on the Democratic Party, and they must be stopped for the sake of the country.
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Dead on arrival: the failure of the DNC autopsy
Creating a post-election autopsy for the Democratic Party after 2024 was a good idea. Every other aspect? Not so much.
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Governor Spanberger, support public-sector labor unions
Public-sector labor unions in Virginia have struggled because of the University of Virginia. Governor Spanberger, an alumna of the University, you should support the rights of public-sector laborers in recognition of this legacy and in support of affordability.
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Grants Pass & the future of public encampment
Following the 2024 case City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, cities have greater authority to punish sleeping in public even when no alternative exists. The decision raises difficult constitutional and moral questions about the Eighth Amendment, homelessness, and whether survival itself can become grounds for criminal punishment.
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This should not have been the breaking point
The condemnation of Trump’s AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus reveals a hypocritical and selective reading of the Gospel if it is not accompanied by a rebuke of this administration’s social policies.
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The Rise of Autocratic Legalism and Why It Matters
Democracies are being dismantled, not just by force and coercion, but through the exploitation and manipulation of the very legal systems they were founded upon. By the time the layperson notices, it’s too late. We must uncover why.
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Christian Nationalism: An Emerging Political Tool That’s Redefining Voters
Christianity has departed from tradition to become a political instrument. President Trump’s efforts to exert Christian nationalism through national events, international remarks, and executive actions undercut the separation of church and state.
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Every ballot counts… or does it? The Supreme Court will decide this summer
Should ballots postmarked by Election Day but delivered late still be counted towards election results? This summer, the Supreme Court will decide – and the Court's decision will likely impact the upcoming midterm elections in November.
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Virginia joins national redistricting battle: What the April 21st special election means for the future of politics
The 2026 special election saw Virginia officially enter the national redistricting battle, with Virginians voting “yes” for the redistricting referendum; this has important implications for Virginia politics and for national gerrymandering efforts.
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Railroad rivalries and the lessons of great power imperialism
The denial of a strategic African railway helped push Germany toward WWI, and today this corridor has become a front line for U.S.-China rivalry. If Washington’s containment repeats the errors of 1914, this race may once again spark global conflict.
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The Democrats have lost control over their candidates, and now they’re thriving
The Democratic Party has been experiencing a shift recently, and that comes from the wave of outsider victories in primaries across the country. Despite the establishment losing control, this seems to be to the benefit of the Democrats’ success.
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The challenge of work requirements for welfare
The Trump administration’s new work requirements for SNAP and Medicaid will restrict access to the programs for millions of low-income Americans, exemplifying how these sorts of regulations have often failed to lift communities out of poverty.
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Make Iran Great Again?
The Trump administration has abandoned the America First policy that President Trump ran on and allowed him to receive a majority of the popular vote in the 2024 presidential election.
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Executive Order 14168: An exercise in destroying inconvenient truths
In “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” Donald Trump presents his own version of the truth, and transgender Americans are not a part of it.
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Why Georgia’s gubernatorial race represents the nation in a nutshell
Georgia has been one of the most politically contentious states over the last decade, and now it faces an intensely competitive primary on both sides of the aisle. The divisions we see, however, are not too unfamiliar from those around the nation and can give us valuable insights into what to expect moving forward.
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A legacy erased: How Trump’s executive orders dismantle the Biden agenda and erode democracy
By dismantling Biden’s domestic agenda and upending ongoing projects, the Trump administration is rejecting a model of governing that prioritized long-term growth and stability in favor of one without coherent goals.
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The reality of Olympic neutrality: Representing a country doesn’t mean agreeing with it
Olympians represent their countries on the world stage, but this has never meant total agreement. As politics increasingly shape the Games’ perceptions, the real challenge may be our response to athletes speaking as citizens as well as competitors.
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The nations’ arena: performative politics is taking over the court
The State of the Union, the press briefing room, and other political moments have one thing in common- spectacle is overtaking substance. Performative politics is dominating media outlets, and Americans are losing political information because of it.