OPINION
A very Duke Thanksgiving
By Editorial Board | November 19, 2018Happy Thanksgiving from Editorial Board
Happy Thanksgiving from Editorial Board
Rome is burning, yet Duke and the philanthropic class donating their way out of their tax obligations are fiddling for the amusement of high schoolers who prowl on College Confidential.
Given that Juuls are an unhealthy gateway to further nicotine addiction, Duke’s refusal to include e-cigarettes in its smoke-free policy is questionable at best.
Ultimately, Trump’s decision not to attend the ceremony at Aisne-Marne this past Saturday is symptomatic of a greater lack of historical memory in relation to World War I, and of his false promises in “making America great again” for veterans.
Thus, we must root our need to vote in the spirit of those that have fought so hard for it and in the sheer power that it holds. These sentiments are much more enduring. Taylor Swift and Oprah need not apply.
It is our responsibility to learn about and understand the inhumanity and demonstrable ineffectiveness of “tough on crime” policies and reject the alarmism used in their advocacy.
What is clear in these flyers is that racism is not always conspicuous. Often, white violence is banal.
the fear being generated is putting already vulnerable segments of the population at greater risk. This creation of new definitions of illegality and non-citizens only adds to the specter of the “violent immigrant” that Trump has further entrenched in conservative Americans.
The start of bookbagging for the spring semester is a stressful time for many, riddled with unease and uncertainty as students wade through DukeHub searching for the perfect schedule.
Pittsburgh may be nearly 500 miles from Durham, but the pain and suffering caused by one hateful individual’s actions have been felt worldwide.
Hope lies where it always has: in solidarity and collective action.
Warren, like every other public figure hoping to gain points in the political landscape by clinging to or rejecting racial and ethnic difference, has played into this damaging pattern of behavior that flattens cultural or personal meanings of racial identification. Regardless of the outcome of these actions, ultimately, the consequences of reducing race to a political chess piece far outweigh any possible gains.
As Duke continues to supposedly commit itself to socioeconomic diversity, it is worth interrogating the extent to which the University has shown itself willing or able to provide for its low income students.
While the prognosis is bad, but the end isn’t here yet. If we truly want to preserve this planet, we need a radical transformation of our economic system. Paper straws simply aren’t going to save us; it’s time for something more.
The most immediate thing we as temporary Durham residents can do is ensure that we are informed before we cast our ballots. But the longer-term take-home message is that, while voting is certainly a civic duty, our political and community engagement should not end with our vote.
The debilitating nature of racism has never been geographically confined, instead its various forms and implications have crisscrossed the expanse of this country in different manifestations for centuries.
Though these injustices are being committed thousands of miles away, to consider the human condition in places where our university has a stake, where our peers study abroad, should concern every member of the Duke community.
Here at Duke, there should be no reason to bash one another just because one is a “hard science” major verses a humanities major.
Regardless of how you ultimately decide to spend your time, Editorial Board wishes everyone a happy Fall Break and looks forward to a much deserved vacation from leering down at the university from our pedestal.
From a structure of authority that engages in the perpetual murder of black men and a lack of regulation that exists for private security contractors to a government and University administration that have remained steadfast in promoting their own self-interests: DeAndre has been the victim of a heinous injustice at the hands of powers that we can only hope to change.