Ryan Gosling and Claude Monet have much more in common than one might think. 

What many say is a handsome and relatable Hollywood actor, Gosling has recently attained the highest rungs of stardom following his cultural zeitgeist-capturing and tongue-in-cheek turn as the plastic doll Ken in last summer’s mega-blockbuster film, “Barbie.” 

With his newest role this summer as the simultaneously charismatic and bare-knuckle-brawling yet gentle and sensitive stuntman Colt Seavers in David Leich’s “The Fall Guy,” Gosling has cemented his unique brand of on-screen masculinity as a cultural touchstone. 

This follows decades of rough and tough male action protagonists who wield their masculinity like a blunt axe, hacking at every problem they face with vacant abandon. The chimp-with-a-machine-gun Chuck Norris-type heroes are fading into antiquity, much like the decline of stirring Realist artists that led to the sweeping Impressionist movement of the 1870s. 

There is a stark similarity between Gosling’s and the majority of male Impressionist artists’ approaches to masculinity through their crafts. Impressionist works are widely defined by their move towards colorful irrational strokes and the absence of strict use of lines, which were originally deemed derogatorily as “feminine.” 

Gosling’s body of work has also progressed to represent masculinity in a less traditional sense, giving him more space to show raw emotion that would often be deemed weak on the face of a basic male blockbuster protagonist. This progression was mirrored by the developments in the art of the 1870s. 

At the time, the industry was beginning to lift Western society by the bootstraps, raising living standards by varying degrees between city and country, giving painters more intimate and ordinary material to work with — stark depictions of rural toil à la Courbet giving way to quaint, humble lily pads ala Monet. 

But with each Renoir-type depiction of urban mirth-making on rosy terraces, there is still an air of melancholy, like every smiling face knows their time of splendor is limited in the rising political tensions of Europe. Gosling’s performances carry a similar sadness — a facet that has practically defined his style in the constraints of pop culture. 

“Literally me” — hordes and hordes of male moviegoers, both casual and highbrow, claim a profound relatability with Gosling’s widely sullen and downtrodden protagonists, a trend that confusingly borders in the murky realm between good-hearted satire and ironic honesty. 

These characters include his broke and comedically incompetent private investigator in Shane Black’s “The Nice Guys,” the deeply lonely and meandering Officer K in “Blade Runner 2049” and, most famously — for better or for worse — his mysterious and detached lead character in “Drive,” a violent noir. 

What Gosling presents on screen, whether it’s a hardened action hero or a tragic half of a doomed romance, is widely interpreted as relatable. These characters demonstrate raw emotion that’s rare in widely accessible male protagonist roles. Like Impressionist artists blurring the lines between reality and idealized candid living conditions, these characters bring out a side of the widely marketed audience that’s never been before seen. 

However, as Gosling approaches the ceiling of possible cinematic fame, his style needs to evolve. Gosling is a versatile actor, but the oversaturation of his definitive protagonist archetypes through an array of cookie-cutter flicks would be an easy trap to fall into. 

In a similar vein, 19th-century Impressionism did not perpetually confine itself to placid landscapes and idyllic gatherings on verandas. A certain soon-to-be one-eared painter, among a few others like Cezanne, Gauguin and Seurat, would help usher in a new movement, a continuity of Impressionism’s accomplishments.

Post-Impressionism did carry on many Impressionist traditions, like the use of bold distinctive strokes and color and the widespread use of oil painting. The movement did depart in terms of lighting and themes — things became less naturalistic. They became more symbolic and abstract, as seen in the differences between Renoir’s “Bal du Moulin de la Galette” and Seurat’s “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte,” the latter of which contains some biting social symbolism upon closer inspection.

This move to abstraction is something on which Gosling might just be embarking. His role as Ken in “Barbie” is a full 360 degrees of social satire, and he accomplishes this by playing on the audience expectations set upon him by his most popular previous roles. 

Gosling has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity now to surprise and subvert expectations at this crossroads in his career. Not many performers have such a gift; he should use it wisely. 

That’s not to say he shouldn’t have fun — the post-Impressionists carried on many Impressionist calling cards like leisure, color mixing and distorted perspectives. However, they also delved into more affecting undertones, like class warfare, conveyed through vibrant colors and abstract tendencies. 

Already a figure who has the flexibility to perform on both sides of the dramatic spectrum, Gosling has the chance to definitively mark a new sense of masculinity on screen that sticks in the cultural mind just as long as a water lily of Monet’s. 

Aaron is a junior in Media. 

aaronda3@dailyillini.com 

The post Opinion | Gosling and Monet: Adapting masculinity through art appeared first on The Daily Illini.

The Trail of Tears. 

Something every high school student taking AP United States History should know. Check out that singular flashcard on Quizlet, and done — one more point towards an A. 

Something is deeply askew if the whole of the Native American experience is folded neatly into this clean package of suffering and strife — one of the lowest points in Native history becoming its single horrifically defining moment for the sake of brevity. 

Beyond the Trail of Tears, the route of massive relocations from the 1830s to the 1850s of over 50,000 Native Americans from their homes east of the Mississippi to reserves out West, generalizations are awaiting those taught the history of the ones who settled on this continent first.

The first Thanksgiving story is the Seven Years’ War and the Battle of Little Bighorn.

These are important events, but their typical narratives leave out one crucial element that is so often missing from Native American education — the indigenous peoples’ autonomy. In all of the commonly-taught historical events involving the natives, things simply happen to them.

What makes this so easy to fall into is that the long receipt of injustices dealt to the Native American population reaches the floor. However, if the U.S. wants to truly heal old wounds and repay the original owners of its land, it should start by integrating the proper history of Native Americans into its educational system. 

It is no simple task. There is no one Native American history. 

As of January 2024, there are 574 federally recognized indigenous tribes existing within the U.S., spanning across the nation with a major concentration in the Southwest. Each of these tribes has its own distinct culture and traditions, making the task of roping all indigenous history under one umbrella not only a disingenuous proposition but simply an incorrect one. 

We can start by approaching the matter from a social perspective. The general population of the U.S. is aware that Native populations have suffered in the past, but present problems seem to fade into the hopeful muddled distance we have from the 1800s. An indigenous advocate group’s 2018 study found that only a third of Americans believe that Native Americans currently face discrimination. 

It is from a place of ignorance, not malice, that most Americans disregard the current plights of Native Americans, including the highest rates of suicide and alcohol-related orders of any minority group in the U.S. 

This can be remedied through better education, and efforts are already on the way. 

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian has been innovating with its lesson plans and expanding its exhibits to provide a deeper understanding of indigenous history. Not only does the museum intend to give more insightful looks into how political treaties between Native populations and the federal government failed, but it also intends to provide a voice for indigenous perspectives. 

One exhibit that focuses on the Trail of Tears features interviews from descendants of the Cherokee peoples who were forced out of their lands. Their stories are not ones of passive relocation and tragedy but ones of active resistance against Andrew Jackson’s administration. The interviews also spotlight the ramifications of the removals that are still felt in Native communities today — the effects of uprooting entire nations. 

Illinois is among the states making new efforts to fix the wide blindspot Native history inhabits in the American psyche. 

In Summer 2023, Governor Pritzker signed a bill into law that allowed public school students to celebrate their ethnic backgrounds during graduation ceremonies. The move followed a Chicago Native American student forced to sit in the bleachers at his graduation after expressing a desire to wear an eagle feather and beads with his gown.

The University of Illinois’ Department of History and College of Education have also worked to expand student awareness of Native issues, noting that the Trail of Tears is the single drop in the bucket of Native history taught widely. 

However, as a university that actively reminds its student populace of its deep sorrow for being built on Native land at every possible opportunity, like a child who knocked over their mother’s vase, the University is likely not the school in most need of this outward awareness. These frequent acknowledgments from the University are nonetheless important but do absolutely nothing to give actual Natives an autonomous image in their own history. 

Native American history is more than the tragedies dealt to indigenous populations. There is a mind-numbing treasure trove of vibrant culture and wisdom to be found within the communities of the original inhabitants of these lands. 

The indigenous peoples of the Americas were writing their own stories long before their colonizers finally felt the guilty compulsion to do it for them. We now must let them be heard. 

Aaron is a sophomore in Media.

aaronda3@dailyillini.com 

The post Opinion | Indigenous history education needs a serious upgrade appeared first on The Daily Illini.

Ever since Jon Stewart departed from “The Daily Show” in 2015, a massive New York thin-slice-flavored piece has been missing from the televised pizza pie. 

That tangy chunk of ooey-gooey ironic venom has been filled in the past month with the OG’s return, marking a massive upturn in the show’s ratings post-Trevor Noah’s departure in September of 2022.

Though Stewart’s brand of hoarsely-shouted political commentary can be off-putting and even downright antagonistic to some viewers, his return to the desk he occupied for 16 years is nothing short of wonderfully positive for fans of living in a democracy. 

From the very beginning of “The Daily Show” in 1999, Stewart was a pioneer of his craft, a sharp cutting blade in a phalanx of dull Clinton-era pundits. He led a one-show campaign against political double-talk along with a brilliant team of “correspondents,” many of whom are now wildly successful in their chosen fields. 

With this fresh no-nonsense approach to satirical skewering, Stewart’s show claimed many victims in its early run, including CNN’s “Crossfire” after he dealt a brutal on-air takedown to Tucker Carlson, ending his bow tie era forevermore. “Crossfire” was shortly canceled thereafter. 

Now, in 2024, the political television landscape is wildly different. Stewart returns to the home screen amid a crowd of on-air satirists, many of whose crafts were directly inspired by the man himself. The question now isn’t whether Stewart still has the old magic — that much has been confirmed by the skyrocketed ratings of the past three Monday night “Daily Shows.” 

The question is whether America will still be as receptive to his no-holes-barred satire nowadays. In a severely polarized political climate, Stewart’s penchant for making fun of anyone and everyone could come across as infuriating and treacherous to both sides of the spectrum. 

There is massive value in having the most prestigious form of a loose cannon out on the airwaves once again, however. Stewart’s commentary isn’t solely meant to demean and criticize for the sake of wanton destruction.

For example, his past three targets have been decidedly ironic and deceptive enough to warrant a good bout of teasing. These have included Tucker Carlson, Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.

Stewart called out Carlson’s much-publicized trip to Russia and his apparent appeasement of Russia due to what he presented as their superior infrastructure and shopping plazas. The now-white bearded pundit turned Carlson’s news package on its head, however, when he reminded viewers that having nicer-looking train stations comes at the cost of a political voice.

He proceeded to show snippets of news clips covering the suppression of Russian protests following the death of Putin’s most outspoken critic, Alexei Navalny. 

Trump and Biden were Stewart’s next targets, and the host demonstrated the one truly optimistic ability of satire’s double-edged sword. In poking fun at the old ages of both candidates, Stewart managed to demonstrate that both sides of the American political spectrum can agree on one thing — the very likely prospect of a repeat 2022 election could not be more disheartening for the modern voter. 

There is a valuable lesson to be learned from Stewart’s balancing of cutting remarks towards Trump’s much-publicized legal misdeeds and Biden’s apparent lack of mental fortitude and youthful vigor. This fortitude and vigor are necessary to unite the country and provide a strong base against the Trump train. 

Stewart continues on this subject and steers the subject into a murky yet deeply profound space between realism and optimism. 

He emphasizes that no matter who wins the election, America will survive. The election is not the end of the world. In addition, America is not solely saved by the single executive in the Oval Office. The millions of blue-collar down-and-dirty workers who keep the country running are just as vital.

Stewart’s return to “The Daily Show” is a massively positive omen for political discourse in 2024. His ability to criticize anyone who needs cutting down has an inverse ability to pull both sides of the aisle together and realize that we really are all in it together as a nation.

No one wants a Trump-Biden rematch. But in his own words, a Jon Stewart second term is one we can all agree on. 

Aaron is a sophomore in Media.

aaronda3@dailyillini.com

The post Opinion | Welcome back, Jon Stewart appeared first on The Daily Illini.

When discussing the ancient world and how it impacts us today, there’s perpetually a massive tunic-clad and public-bathing elephant in the room: the Roman Empire. 

According to a recent social media trend, most men ruminate on this behemoth empire on a daily basis. However, the Roman civilization was much more than just its most popular phase, the Imperial Period (31 B.C.-476 A.D.). Rome was a civilization that lasted for over a thousand years, and a majority of that time saw incredible advancements and continuations of political and scientific thought. 

Too bad the Roman Empire is what most people solely remember because now, it has become sorely overrated. 

Through the dusty and Indiana Jones-traversed annals of ancient history, there are a great number of incredible civilizations that can now share the spotlight with their later SPQR peers.

Here, yours truly will share the only fair and balanced evaluation of thousands and thousands of years worth of history — 10 ancient civilizations ranked by how much this writer thinks about them on a daily basis. 

10. The Mesapotamians

No one alive today, if asked where they would travel with a time machine, would decide to hang out with these folks. 

Sure, they might’ve invented civilization as a whole, but that does not mean they’ve entered the current zeitgeist by any means. There’s a reason we saw Brad Pitt fight in Greek armor and glorious blond locks and not in the mud and squalor of the ancient Tigris-Euphrates River Valley. 

We can simply thank Gilgamesh for giving us the first in the long line of epic works of literature and call it a day.

9. The Indus People 

Now, just because yours truly doesn’t think about them daily does not mean the column means to promote them in a negative light. This is the case with the Indus people (3300 B.C.-1900 B.C.), whose civilization extended from present-day northeast Afghanistan to northwest India. 

The Indus Valley people did a massive load of the dirty work developing society towards what it is today — metallurgy, drainage and standardized systems of weights and measures all stem from them. 

They were a vital civilization in the grand scheme of things, but unfortunately, they were not nearly flashy enough to spark an ounce of daily thought on the part of this writer. 

8. The Romans

Now, before the Illini Media Company office is besieged by enraged mobs armed with javelins and ballistae, allow for an explanation — the Roman Empire massively overshadows the actual long-running Roman civilization. 

Thought regarding classic Roman imagery, from the Colosseum to the plumed helmets, stems from the military-oriented Empire. The actual early civilization, however, was just a town on the Tiber that was founded apparently by two guys who were raised by a wolf. Not the best look. 

7. The Phoenicians

Now, here are the true head honchos of the Mediterranean — and they didn’t need any ridiculous helmet plumage or pretentious Latin language to do it. 

Creating the greatest trade network seen at the time wasn’t easy, but these dashing seafarers made it seem effortless. 

6. The Navajo

The pre-Columbian peoples who settled in what is now the continental U.S. numbered too many to fit into this list, so one of the largest and most influential stands here to represent them.

The Navajo currently inhabit the southwestern United States and have lived there since about 1100 A.D. This does not make them necessarily ancient, but the constant movement and intermeshing of Native American tribes between the Atlantic and the Pacific make it difficult to pin down just one civilization. However, I do wish I did think about these incredible people even more — if only they had a greater presence in the current educational system. 

5. The Greeks

Democracy, and all that.

4. The Maya

As a Mesoamerican society brought up through the centuries without any outside help or influence, such as the ancient civilizations of Europe and Asia benefitted from, the Maya were extraordinary. They concocted hieroglyphic and mathematical systems all by themselves. 

Before the syphilis-ridden Spanish colonists arrived, the Maya were one of the top dogs of the Western Hemisphere. While Europe was languishing in the nasty Dark Ages, the Maya were flourishing with well-toned systems of agriculture and astronomy. 

3. The Inca

Take everything interesting and impressive about the Maya, and add a mountain range. 

The Inca did everything every great ancient civilization accomplished all while lacking literal horsepower and the ability to cross to one side of the empire without having to embark on a trek that made “Lord of the Rings” look like a stroll around the park. 

2. The Han 

Born out of years and years of civil war, strife and an inordinate amount of book-burning, the Han Dynasty ushered in four hundred years of innovation and peace for China. 

We can thank the Han for paper, the suspension bridge and the preservation of ancient Chinese culture and philosophy. 

Thank you, Han Dynasty!

1. The Egyptians 

This is my Roman Empire. 

Egypt was massively ahead of its time, lasting longer than any other singular ancient civilization, stretching from about 3150 B.C. to 30 B.C. at the time of Cleopatra and the rise of, you guessed it, the Roman Empire.

Thanks to their skillful adaptation to the volatile conditions of the fertile Nile Delta, the Egyptians managed to create a civilization so advanced for its time that modern humans believe it could’ve only been the work of extraterrestrials. 

Ancient human history is made up of much more than just gladiators — it’s comprised of remarkable peoples who shaped the world today and countless stories that explain exactly why we live the way we live today. 

Aaron is a sophomore in Media.

aaronda3@dailyillini.com

The post Opinion | A very necessary ranking of ancient civilizations appeared first on The Daily Illini.

The University’s Homecoming is approaching, and we all know what that entails — constant reminders of how wonderful this place is. 

This complaint may be specific to this campus, an urbanized pimple on the endless prairie visage of the Midwest. However, despite the University tending to remind us that it is quite possibly the originator of the first legitimate collegiate Homecoming as the U.S. knows it today, it forgets that such a fact is not why its students celebrate the occasion.

Put aside the fact that this claim may not even be true, according to the research of an Illinois graduate student in 2005. 

Even without the assumption that this campus was the pioneer of collegiate alumni Homecoming celebrations, there is still an evident disconnect between the school’s efforts to connect with students on the level of the cultural zeitgeist, and how it is received.

Students don’t go out day drinking on Homecoming Week in a frenzy of school spirit. They do it because they want to.

The real question here is whether the University needs to connect with students at all. It’s a major institution, sapping money from its attendees with relentless fervor. It’s like being best friends with your boss at work — sure, it makes life a bit more bearable, but at the end of the day they can still fire you on the spot.

Especially in the case of federally funded state colleges like our own, there is no reason for a student to feel any sense of obligation or duty towards it. It’s true: Homecoming is a fantastic chance for alumni to gather and celebrate the many incredible opportunities to be found here.

However, Homecoming is also one of the most lucrative events of the school year for local businesses and service providers, from hotels and retailers to spas and restaurants. More likely, the University would have its eyes on this statistic rather than a Homecoming game player’s rushing yards.

There is a lot of good to be seen from the events of Homecoming Week — but the University chooses to focus on the simple aspect of “Orange and Blue spirit” rather than the specific distinguished alumni or the positive effects the festivities have on the community. 

True, we may have indeed pioneered the notion of college homecomings as they are known today, disregarding Mizzou’s identical claims. But that may not be sufficient reason enough for the student body to feel an overwhelming sense of pride towards their school.

There is nothing wrong with the University trying to connect with students, whether it’s Chancellor Robert Jones sauntering around the Main Quad on Instagram or hosting family-oriented events like the upcoming Dads Weekend. 

The University doesn’t have to stop there, however. Sure, seeing the chancellor taking selfies in the first week of school with a very specifically diverse array of students is fantastically welcoming for newcomers, whether they be freshmen or transfers. 

But, for those without innocent starry eyes regarding University life, these efforts can feel fruitless and disingenuous.

This leads to the question of if these efforts have any point at all. Most students aren’t shelling out swaths of money because they think their administrators are up-to-date with all those new technological do-dads and gizmos. People don’t work desk jobs for the thrill of Pizza Friday — they just want the money for a place to sleep at night.

The University tends to forget that Homecoming is a time to honor those who have passed through these hallowed halls and not only survived but went on to do their future student generations proud, whether or not they decided to generously build a library on a quad.

But, at the end of the day, Homecoming will come and go without stirring much in students’ hearts other than a vague burning from post-festivity Fat Sandwich runs and the pulmonary tension brought on by the stress of midterms.

Aaron is a sophomore in Media.

aaronda3@dailyillini.com

The post Opinion | Reevaluating the meaning of Homecoming appeared first on The Daily Illini.

Housing successes

“I was just walking back into the dorms after being kind of stressed out from the day, and there’s like six people by my door, just sitting on the ground, talking,” said Ashley Lulkin, freshman in LAS. “And they’re like, ‘Oh my God, come join us.’ So, I just sat down, and we ended up talking for, like, an hour there. It was really cute, and it made my day better.”

“The first day going into my friend’s dorm floor — he had told me about some interesting people on the floor, and so I just expected it would be just a little bit more lively than my normally quiet floor,” said Justin Dyser, freshman in Business. “When I walk in, it’s as if the Last Supper is taking place and there’s a whole meal spread out all over the tables. About five to six people and one of my friends were chowing down on some Indian food they ordered in. And so, from the impression of someone on a relatively quiet floor, it was shocking to see people out and about.” 

Housing failures 

“I don’t think I was prepared for the heat that came around the first week, because I was barely sleeping,” said Claudia O’Grodny, freshman in LAS. “I was never getting work done, so I’m glad the weather cleared up. I would literally sit in front of my fridge, have my fridge open 24/7 and it was just not a pleasant experience.” 

“First thing: In the parking garage, the ceiling above my car, the roof gave out,” said Olivia Elkin, senior in LAS. “So, all of the ceiling dropped on the top of my car. So, that was fun. Nobody told me about that. My sink got flooded three different times, I had to get a new garbage disposal. My AC was broken for four days in 100-degree heat. You know how there’s balcony doors that are like glass? Mine shattered — the glass just completely shattered.”

“OK, so one day I wake up, it’s 8:50 in the morning and I have a 9 a.m. class in the English Building,” said Zyra Sheikh, junior in Engineering. “And I lived at PAR, so it was, like, quite a trek. I look at the bus schedule, I’m like, OK, I have 5 minutes. I can make it to class. I’ll be late, but it’s fine. So, I go to the PAR bathroom and I open the door, and through the mirror I make eye contact with my neighbor who was butt naked on the toilet. And then I closed the door and left. We never really spoke about it properly, but it was quite a traumatic moment for me. I’m glad it happened the way it did, cause if it was reversed, I think I would have literally just died. Like, I would have been mortified.”  

Megan is a sophomore in Media.

mhard6@dailyillini.com 

Aaron is a sophomore in Media.

aaronda3@dailyillini.com 

Talia is a junior in LAS.

taliagd2@dailyillini.com 

Maggie is a junior in Media.

mknutte2@dailyillini.com

The post Opinion | Students share the good and bad of their housing experiences at UI appeared first on The Daily Illini.

Once upon a time, we used to trust artists. Now, we anticipate disappointment. 

There is a certain joy to be found in waiting for a favorite content creator to lay another golden egg. But perhaps that is the problem altogether — art has become content, and we the consumers drive its steady flow, not the other way around.

In no fair and just world would conglomerates like the Walt Disney Company churn out an endless slew of spin-offs, sequels and unnecessary narrative appendages to their media franchises, such as Star Wars, if they didn’t value the consumer’s endless appetite over the quality of their product.

All large-scale franchises started as sparks of inspiration that grew into their own small, contained stories. But the inspiration and passion behind the stories only dim as their fiscal value is repeatedly taken advantage of.

Imagination sells, but at a grave cost.

Especially in the realms of film and television, the term “product” does not have to be synonymous with “mediocre.” It seems as though audiences have grown to expect to be inundated with content rather than waiting for something worthwhile. 

It is in this sad mindset that we always forget about imagination.

It’s that wonderful tool many of us tossed aside one day and let it rust over. Imagination is creativity at its most personal — drawing on a person’s psyche to produce not only with genuine thought behind it but also with tangible humanity. 

In theory, this is all cut and dry: Let the big media companies learn their lesson from both critical and streaming losses, and let smaller indie companies with real passion behind them take the reins of the industry.

But this is merely centered on cinema. There is a larger deficit of imagination, and that begins with us. It should not just be creators who use their individual and colorful minds. 

This does not apply solely to children, as the word “imagination” is likely to conjure the image of a toddler sitting on the classroom floor over a blank piece of paper with a fistful of crayons. 

Simple everyday adults especially should be using their imaginations on a regular basis. Surprisingly, it’s boring, old grown-ups who have the most active imaginations. It makes sense. They have more experiences, more desires and overall, a more developed worldview than someone who still has to raise their hand to use the restroom.

The real issue with this imagination deficit is not that it’s lacking in what we consume, but that we too often forget to use it ourselves. There’s nothing wrong with losing oneself in flights of fancy on a daily basis. In fact, it can give valuable insights to one’s desires and worries.

The sad truth, however, is that the simple ability to let one’s mind have its own little recess has become commoditized. We see this throughout the media landscape, especially with the constant deluge of content across streaming platforms.

Too often do we complain about the hordes of mediocre content to be found across platforms like Netflix and Disney+, only to unanimously celebrate when a special something emerges that has competent writing and direction.

This shouldn’t have to be a rare occurrence. 

The most publicized example of this is found again with the Star Wars of recent years. First came the inundation of mediocre content that rode the waves of nostalgia bait and manipulation of fan’s expectations, as in the cases of Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett.

But then emerged Andor, a television miniseries with only the most minor connections to a larger convoluted narrative. It focused on original characters with intentional writing and development behind them — the tangible bit of humanity was shining through the cracks. 

This being said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying any piece of media, no matter what any critic, online pundit or makeshift media journalist behind a two-bit microphone has to say about its inherent value.

This columnist admits a strong love for things one might consider “throwaway content” like unironically intense cooking competitions on the Food Network. In addition, this columnist has seen most of the recent miniseries of a certain large comic-book franchise — and has found at least some genuine enjoyment in all of them.

However, stories with true imagination and passion behind them will always be welcomed more warmly by audiences. We love stories because they are, at the end of the day, about all of us.

A story written by a human, not a company, is what truly touches our hearts. And it’s in our own powers to tell them — all we have to do is let our minds wander, even for a blissful moment.  

Aaron is a sophomore in Media.

aaronda3@dailyillini.com 

The post Opinion | Imagination has become a commodity appeared first on The Daily Illini.

For those unfamiliar with the king of deadpan deliveries and Bill Murray collaborations, Wes Anderson is an American film director who is best known for his meticulous and instantly recognisable symmetrical style of camerawork. 

His most famous and acclaimed films include “The Royal Tenenbaums” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” His most recent film, “Asteroid City”, hit theaters this summer to generally positive public reception. 

However, a criticism leveled at Anderson is one that heads opinion columns across the internet every time one of his films is released — style over substance. This phrase has become somewhat synonymous with the filmmaker at this point, but perhaps this is not such a bad thing.

With his desaturated color palette and perfect symmetry, Wes Anderson crafts an exquisite look for each of his films, from the cozy pinks and purples of  “Grand Budapest” to the crisp Autumn orange and yellow of “Fantastic Mr. Fox.”

Some of Anderson’s detractors claim that this strict attention to detail in every meticulously arranged shot leads to his films feeling cold, lacking the certain emotional pull to effectively hook the audience. This claim becomes unfounded when this style is viewed as the very substance some say Anderson lacks.

Anderson films do feature immaculately arranged shots and gorgeous cinematography, but what many forget is that it is his writing that serves as the undercurrent that allows the more surface level elements, like visual aspects, to flourish. 

An understated element of Wes Anderson’s films include his endlessly witty dialogue that alternates from a staggered staccato to a flowing legato, depending on the moment. Through his dialogue and his recurring elements like familial difficulties and meditations of grief, Anderon’s films create a much more emotionally affecting experience. 

Films like “The Royal Tenenbaums” and “The Darjeeling Limited” do feature the usual Anderson visual beauty, but they also delicately explore grief through broken family dynamics with which the stories impact much more profoundly.

For Wes Anderson, his surface-level symmetry and deep themes inhabit a symbiotic relationship. Neither would be as elevated without the other. 

Anderson’s balance of theme and style is deceptively agile, allowing for a quick steady pace through the film that typically leads to a gut-punch of an emotional resolution, best seen in “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” and “Rushmore.” 

But this is where the perfect irony lies — these personal choices for most emotional Andersonian conclusions could be rendered inaccurate in another viewer’s mind. What is truly remarkable about Anderson’s filmography is that there is no clearly defined greatest or weakest film in the public eye. 

Anderson’s films present so many thought-provoking themes, like Man versus Beast in “Mr. Fox” and the lonely life of the journalist in “The French Dispatch”, that every viewers’ experience is unique. 

Personally, the anthological “French Dispatch” holds a special place in this writer’s heart because of its stylistic approach to telling a story, structuring the film as though it were a journal itself, dividing into separate stories about politics, food and art. 

But what drives the film home is that its simultaneously stilted and chaotic nature accurately captures the writing process, as well as the lonely life of the creative and the solace one may take in their craft. Though on the surface it may appear style over substance, the “Dispatch” is a prime example of Anderson’s style telling a witty yet thematically intelligent story. 

Likewise, Anderson’s characters best capture how his style bleeds into the substance he sets on the table for the viewer and how they complement each other. 

Though Anderson crafts lively visual stimuli, his characters are melancholic, searching for something only obtainable by facing what they ignore. His protagonists often deal with grief or a feeling of displacement and non-belonging, as seen in Murray’s Steve Zissou or the young elopers Sam and Suzy in “Moonrise Kingdom,” who find belonging solely with each other. 

The deadpan yet earnest delivery Anderson encourages of his actors perfectly blends with the incredible cinematography and color palette, as their words drip with emotional subtext. Watch Ben Stiller’s Chas Tenenbaum tell his father that he “had a bad year, dad” near the end of “Tenenbaums,” grab a box of tissues, and watch the claims of style over substance fall apart. 

Wes Anderson’s style is his substance, driving home complex themes and ideas that could not be communicated through any other medium. Watching his troubled characters find their way through his beautiful and immersive worlds is a joy any movie-goer cannot deny.

Mr. Anderson knows exactly what he’s doing, and luckily for us, he’s not going to stop any time soon. 

Aaron is a sophomore in Media.

aaronda3@dailyillini.com

The post Opinion | For Wes Anderson, style is substance appeared first on The Daily Illini.

Tucker Carlson somehow manages to sully the already rock-bottom reputations of those few on-air personalities who sport bow ties.

Granted, he did abandon the accessory back in 2004 after Jon Stewart came on his “Crossfire” program on CNN and dealt him a scathing dialectical onslaught that some believe led to his dismissal from the program merely three months later. 

However, Carlson is likely to continue harming the American public beyond his offensive style choices — likewise, his dismissal on Monday from his position as primetime host for Fox News doesn’t guarantee the face of American punchability will vanish forever.

Ever since snagging a primetime 8 p.m. slot in 2016 for his program “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Carlson had dug in his heels at the network. He went on to reinvent himself with a show that not only constantly appeased Trump’s antics but regularly invited white nationalists, conspiracy theorists and neo-Nazis — all three not altogether independent of another — as guests. 

That is, until the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit shook Fox News to its core and, in the process, exposed a multitude of texts among the on-air primetime royalty of Fox News that expressed their disdain for former President Trump.

This sparked the idea that perhaps Carlson was only using his position as the massively lucrative and high-rated golden goose of Fox News’ primetime lineup — perpetuating inflammatory and divisive rhetoric to further his own means.

Whatever the case, Carlson’s sudden firing by the head of the network himself, Rupert Murdoch, means that not only will he not have a final show, but he will have to clear out his atrociously decorated office immediately — in no small part thanks to the discrimination lawsuit filed against him by Abby Grossberg. 

The third time being fired by a network might be the charm for ridding ourselves of Mr. Carlson for good, but that sentiment might be a tad optimistic. 

Having made a career out of spreading the poisonous notion of “us versus them” on his primetime program, Carlson will undoubtedly find that old habits die hard. Not only has he received, whether genuinely or not, job offers from Russian state networks, but American far-right channels like Newsmax will likely be more than happy to give him a chair at the table. 

This begs the question: What will Carlson do next? Will he find safe harbor with the far-right friends he made during his stint on Fox News, or will he simply find the next ideological group on which to leech, stirring tensions and stacking his bank account before moving on once more?

This is one of many predictions of what Carlson could make of this next stage of his career. But that in itself is a specific prediction: He will keep his career.

There is no doubt that Carlson will fail to vanish into the woodwork following his dismissal. He has spent too much time building an avid fan base and reputation to simply throw it all away.

Several previously fired Fox hosts have gone on to salvage their careers, including Bill O’Reilly, who runs a successful podcast and has published a series of bestselling books. Carlson may have lost his primetime slot, but he is by no means less dangerous.

Take Carlson’s own history as an example. 

Carlson is reported as having said that after his firing from MSNBC in 2008, he suffered a mental breakdown that led to having to sell his house. Ever since, he has made a career of stoking harmful sentiments in a seemingly vengeful, yet no less successful, manner.  

After his dismissal from Fox News, there is no reason to believe Carlson will not react similarly. 

Carlson knows that preying on the emotions of an incendiary demographic merit fantastic results. The high ratings of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” and his long career in television are evidence enough. 

A wild Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson is on the loose, and there is no telling where he may pounce next.

Just remember to keep Jon Stewart on speed dial just in case Carlson needs another dialectical beatdown. But knowing him, he will live on for a while longer without much hope of removal from the American living room, as all nasty carpet stains do. 

Aaron is a freshman in DGS.

aaronda3@dailyillini.com

The post Opinion | A wild Tucker Carlson is on the loose appeared first on The Daily Illini.

The responses ranged from academic achievement to personal accomplishments, while some students felt that their greatest accomplishment was being able to transfer to the University at all.

Transferring in

The University of Illinois is a prestigious institution. Many of the students we interviewed were transfer students whose greatest achievement was successfully transferring in.

“I would say getting accepted because I came from a community college, so the opportunity to transfer here was really amazing,” said Eugene Lee, junior in LAS, who was sitting with his friend Alyssa Fisher, senior in LAS, when we interviewed him. Fisher echoed his thoughts as she was also a transfer student.

Another pair of transfer students said something similar.

“I feel like it was just the idea of getting accepted into the school,” said Jessica Murillo, senior in LAS. “Because from where I come from — I’m from the suburbs — it’s a very competitive school and a lot of people want to come here.”

Her friend Alexandra Kosiek, junior in LAS, chimed in.

“And then it’s same for me, which I was actually denied here three times,” Kosiek said. “So, by the time I transferred in, I actually got into the school I originally wanted to get into but got denied. And then also, because I came from community college, this was way more competitive. The classes were way, you know, harder.”

Academic accomplishments

Murillo was also proud of passing organic chemistry.

“I actually had to retake that course because the first time I took it, I had a concussion,” Murillo said. “So then, because I didn’t pass it the first time, I was scared I wouldn’t the second time. But when I passed the class, I was very happy and very proud.”

Nabil Mohiudim, senior in Engineering, was also elated to pass a difficult class.

“I’m sorry this comes across too, like, strong, but ECE 391 — that class, I’d spend, like, 12 hours in the lab over and over and over again, like my entire birthday — so I’m really glad I got through that class,” Mohiudim said. “It was just so many countless nights in the lab, so I’m glad I got through that.” 

“I would say my greatest accomplishment is getting an almost perfect score on my final essay last semester for my (JOUR 205) class,” said Mazie Gierat, freshman in Media.

Graduating early

Two of the students who were interviewed were able to graduate early, which they felt was their biggest accomplishment.

“My biggest accomplishment is probably graduating this spring in three years instead of four,” said Olivia Crickman, junior in LAS.

Yamini Bukkaraju, sophomore in Information Sciences, is eligible to graduate this spring after only two years.

“I took a lot of AP classes in high school and, like, my major allowed me to take a lot of courses that I was really interested in — and a lot of the courses fulfilled a lot of the requirements so that was really nice,” Bukkaraju said.

Personal achievements

Fisher, on top of being proud due to successfully transferring, was proud of obtaining a leadership position.

“(For me, it) would have to be being a part of the club organization I’m in and getting social chair for it,” Fisher said. “I thought that was a good accomplishment.”

Kayla Wilson, sophomore in Engineering, was proud of her art being recognized.

“I submitted a bunch of my art pieces to a year of my art show, which I thought was fun because I’m not an art major,” Wilson said. “Honestly, out of everything, that’s probably my biggest accomplishment so far — I’m only a sophomore.” 

Raphael is a freshman in LAS.

rrano2@dailyillini.com

Aaron is a freshman in DGS.

aaronda3@dailyillini.com

The post Opinion | What is your greatest accomplishment as a student? appeared first on The Daily Illini.

The next time you get a haircut, take a good look in the mirror at the person standing behind you with the shears in their hands. They are essential figures in society, keeping public discourse alive since 3500 B.C.

The barber trade has origins dating back to ancient Egypt, where barbers would often double as priests, saving the scalp and soul in a single visit. In the Middle Ages, barbers did the work of a modern-day surgeon, performing crude operations like bloodletting, the purposeful cutting of patients’ veins to empty out illness.

In fact, the barber pole itself represents the long-since-outlawed practice of bloodletting, with the red, white and blue representing the blood, bandages and veins, respectively. In short, barbers have always occupied a special role in society.

Since then, they have facilitated the current social atmosphere through their own unique version of a public forum.

I’m not saying that barbers are some kind of elevated citizens, taking democracy in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other. 

Rather, there is more to the environment of a barbershop than may be apparent.

The talk with the barber or stylist is half the experience — and why many establishments have become their own modern-day versions of a Boston coffee shop or Paris salon.

They are spaces for free, unadulterated discourse, varying from gossip to politics — which aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.

For modern Black communities in cities such as Baltimore and Washington D.C., the barbershop is a center of free speech and safe cultural discourse, gathering a steady clientele that comes for the conversation just as much as for the haircut itself.

The value of the open soapbox of the barber’s chair is easy to underestimate, but such establishments in those Black communities draw in notable figures ranging from local politicians to business leaders, showing the clear role they hold in the eyes of the public.

In addition to providing a safe harbor for the public discourse, barber shops act as a facilitator of popular culture. This was seen in the 1940s, when skilled barbers were drafted overseas, leading to the increased popularity of the less-complicated buzz haircut.

Similarly, the Beatlemania of the 1960s meant that any barber who could not replicate the “Fab Four’s” signature mop-tops would likely end up unemployed.

From the ages of Tutankhamun to McCartney, barbers have always occupied a unique space within the current social climate.

The roles of barbers often have reflected the needs of the times in which they’ve operated. This ranged from providing spiritual assistance to the superstitious ancient Egyptians, to keeping the teenagers of the ’60s to now up to date on the latest trends, to creating a necessary safe space for cultural dialogue. 

The services provided by the barber should not be undervalued. The COVID-19 pandemic hit the personal service industry hard, closing many barber shops and robbing communities of their own little public forums. 

In the wake of the pandemic, it’s necessary to support local businesses and ensure that communities can retain their prime sources of pure communication with their neighbors. 

Whether it be a barber shop, a hair salon or stylist, any safe space for open dialogue is priceless, and should be valued and protected. Barber shops and other hairstyling establishments are little havens for democracy. 

They are vital in building communities and promoting secure environments for the best of conversations, whether it be about the president, the neighbor’s dogs or anything in between.  

Aaron is a freshman in DGS.

aaronda3@dailyillini.com

The post Opinion | Barbers are essential to a functional society appeared first on The Daily Illini.

Humans never seem to like where they are.

The general character of 2023 can be described with terms like “uncertainty” and “anxiety.” Especially among younger people, 2023 isn’t seen as the most positive time to watch the future approach. 

With their economic futures up in the air and a front-row seat to a three-ring political circus, people of the new generation of young adults find themselves facing an ominous storm on the horizon.

This general fear, spurred by the major events of the past few years (that bear no repeating), often causes young people to see the past through rhetorical rose-colored glasses — the post-WWII and pre-Y2K Garden of Eden, when we knew who the bad guys were (Nazis) and we knew who to trust (MLK).

Americans back then didn’t think they were living through the “good old days.” They were too busy securing their rights to vote, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race and sex and going about the day without worrying about a Panzer (or worse, a white-sheeted bigot crashing through their front window).

The 20th century was a long, long hundred years, packed with more content and drama than the (reportedly) jaw-dropping and awe-inspiring season finale of The Bachelor. To rope the 20th century into a tight, simple romantic story of the triumph of good over evil does a major discredit to those who toiled and suffered to ensure that democracy and civil rights lived on into the 21st century.

Sure, from a specific viewpoint, it may have been morally easier to storm the beaches of Normandy, but there’s a reason we acknowledge that day with solemn head-bowed respect, not streamers and confetti.

Scrolling through social media is something complicated in itself, and it’s impossible to be certain of the machination or agenda behind every piece of content one views. But as a 2023 college student, I’d rather have a moral conflict while laying on the couch than live through everything we now make star-studded and monumentalized feature films about.

Every generation has its woes. Humans will always make mistakes, and there’s nothing to show us that they’ll stop anytime soon.

But those of the current younger generation have something that other generations have possessed and either utilized or squandered, much to their long-lasting fates — hindsight. The mistakes of the past are easier to interpret than a Dr. Seuss cliff note. 

Navigating the political and social strife that envelops us in 2023 is treacherous. The typically-partisan audience of President Biden’s recent State of the Union Address presented a clear demonstration of where Americans stand divided. The worries of the past are harder to appreciate when the worries of the future remain in their heads so menacingly.

However, anxiety over what the future can do to us would be better spent on what we can do for the future.

To borrow from J.R.R. Tolkien, we cannot choose the age into which we are born, and no one wishes to be born into times of strife. We can only decide “what to do with the time that is given us.”

Aaron is a freshman in DGS.

aaronda3@dailyillini.com 

The post Opinion | You weren’t born in the wrong generation appeared first on The Daily Illini.

To clarify, this doesn’t include all “holiday season” movies. This isn’t directed at you, “A Rugrats Kwanzaa,” or you, “Mistletoe and Menorahs.” You’re wonderful just the way you are. 

This is directed specifically at Christmas cinema. 

After years of repeated viewings, the usual classics — the stories of endearingly innocent man-elves, angels focused on climbing the bureaucratic ladder, and Bruce Willis spreading holiday cheer by way of a Beretta pistol — have little left to offer than the expectedly reliable creature comforts of the season. 

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with this, but any aversion to discovering new Christmas movies is what makes the old reliables insufferable. Luckily, there is a veritable treasure trove of underrated and underappreciated Christmas movies to be discovered, and this columnist is more than happy to provide some recommendations. 

#1 

The ‘Ol Reliable: “Elf” (2003) 

The Alternative: “Christmas in Connecticut” (1945)

Sure, seeing Will Ferrell traipse around New York without any intention of hiding his true elf identity from the confused individuals who meet him is pure Christmas entertainment. But, it would be more narratively engrossing if Buddy the Elf had dabbled in more deception to hide his true identity. 

That is what “Christmas in Connecticut” has to offer, in the form of a romantic comedy starring a pre-Big Valley Barbara Stanwick and Dennis Morgan. Stanwick’s Elizabeth Lane is a famous culinary columnist a la Martha Stewart, only minus the prison sentence and plus a lavish farm and family in the beautiful Connecticut countryside. 

However, Elizabeth might just join the Stewart cell block after all, as her publisher boss invites a recently discharged war hero (Morgan) to stay at her farm for Christmas as part of a warmhearted publicity stunt. There is only one problem — Elizabeth has no farm, family or culinary skills of any kind. 

Watching Stanwick concoct a wild plan to sustain her deception by “borrowing” a farm and family in Connecticut is something that never fails to keep the festive spirit alive, especially as Morgan’s war hero starts to fall for Elizabeth — and vice versa. 

#2

The ‘Ol Reliable: “Die Hard” (1988)

The Alternative: “Die Hard 2” (1990)

Everything has been said that can be said about “Die Hard,” the quintessential alternative Christmas film. Every year, it’s a thrill to watch Bruce Willis save Nakatomi Plaza from a stellar Alan Rickman.

However, not enough has been said about the thrill of watching Bruce Willis save Dulles International Airport from a suitably campy William Sadler. 

New holiday game: Take a sip of that festive cinnamon-topped eggnog every time someone frantically screams the words, “Annex Skywalk!” as gunfire rings out. 

#3

The ‘Ol Reliable: “Home Alone” (1990)

The Alternative: “The Muppet Christmas Carol” (1992) 

“Home Alone” does not feature Michael Caine playing Ebeneezer Scrooge, taken on an emotional journey by Gonzo the Great and Rizzo the Rat, singing extremely catchy tunes with the Muppets cast all while learning the true meaning of Christmas. 

“The Muppet Christmas Carol” does. Enough said. 

#4

The ‘Ol Reliable: “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946)

The Alternative: “In Bruges” (2008)

In “It’s a Wonderful Life,” arguably the greatest Christmas movie ever made, Jimmy Stewart’s George Bailey dreams of leaving his hometown of Bedford Falls and traveling the world, but never does. For the viewers out there who do wish to travel the world, take a trip to Belgium in the cult-classic dark comedy “In Bruges.” 

Starring the excellent duo of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson and helmed by the acclaimed writer/director Martin McDonagh, In Bruges tells the story of two hitmen, Ray (Farrell) and Ken (Gleeson), who hide out in Bruges, Belgium after a job gone wrong at Christmastime. The duo wanders the streets of scenic Bruges and have many deep conversations and revelations as they await orders from their boss. 

With fantastic performances all around, a crackling script, and a deft balance of dark comedy with drama, In Bruges is a relentlessly entertaining salty side dish to the usual cinematic Christmas feast. 

And if “In Bruges” wets one’s whistle, then the newly released “The Banshees of Inisherin” is a perfect accompanying watch — widely regarded as a spiritual sequel to “In Bruges,” it features another fantastic collaboration between Farrell, Gleeson, and McDonagh.

With these recommendations, let the Christmas season ring in with a refreshingly greater variety of films that deliver the same warm sentiments and thrills as the all-time classics. Merry Christmas, and happy watching.

Aaron is a freshman in LAS.

aaronda3@dailyillini.com

The post Opinion | Expand your Christmas cinematic horizons appeared first on The Daily Illini.

It’s funny who we trust sometimes. We tend to trust funny people.

The First Amendment is a beautiful thing — but too often, the average American believes that it is being wrecked in the media. If the U.S. got a dollar every time one of its citizens doubted the words of someone behind a news anchor desk, the national debt would evaporate. In the face of such doubt, many Americans turn to an unlikely news source: comedians. 

By design, many famous comedians maintain accessible and relatable platforms, now bolstered by social media. The best comedians say what the audience observes, but never dreamt of vocalizing — and in unsure political times like these, general audiences would rather listen to a down-home joker on a stool than a clown behind a podium or news desk. 

Before hosting “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Stephen Colbert headed “The Colbert Report,” an Emmy-winning satirical program on which he played a comical caricature of an inflammatory conservative news anchor. Despite it airing on Comedy Central, 10% of the show’s solid viewership watched it as a valid news source.

Its counterpart, “The Daily Show,” then hosted by satirist Jon Stewart, also racked up massive numbers on Comedy Central. The show’s loose news format that essentially picked apart and ridiculed the news of the day drew in audiences and became a great success — much to the credit of its host, Stewart (and now, the splendid Trevor Noah). 

Stewart and Noah made their names as comedians, but positive audience reception elevated them to the status of ironic Walter Cronkites. 

As veteran correspondent of “The Daily Show,” John Oliver perhaps has had the most success as a news source outside of major broadcasting networks. His acclaimed late-night show, “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” has racked up 26 Emmys and boasts one of the highest IMDb ratings of any show. 

From the show’s safe harbor on HBO Max, Oliver delivers uncensored and uninhibited monologues from behind his late-night desk that pertain to the most important news stories of the week, ranging from elections to foreign dictators to prison reform. 

Audiences love honesty, and comedians are more than ecstatic to provide it.

However, in a world where too many people trust everything they see on social media, comedians have garnered more responsibility than simply delivering their objective political views in a humorous (or often straight-faced) manner. 

It is an intriguing trend that those whose job it is to make people laugh have taken up the mantle of delivering unbiased facts in the public eye. This isn’t unique to our present day — the great Greek satirist, Aristophanes, made his namepoking fun at major figures like Socrates and commenting scathingly on the social issues of the time.

If the founding father of Western philosophy could take a joke, then so can Congress. 

Satirists precede the first complete and accessible newspaper by nearly a millennium. Perhaps this is why they are so intrinsically trustworthy to the public. Comedians represent the people in their own eyes, more than any elected official or talking head ever could. 

This is not to degrade the hard work of broadcast journalists — only an examination of the fact that the most widely accepted source of unbiased news is someone whose job it is to make us laugh. From Aristophanes to Oliver, comedians have always found political and social shortcomings to criticize, and for better or worse, it’s unlikely they’ll run out of material any time soon. 

Aaron is a freshman in DGS.

aaronda3@dailyillini.com

The post Opinions | Comedians replace news anchors appeared first on The Daily Illini.

If you think America’s current political landscape is bad, look back at what it was like in 1860.

It’s a tale as old as time — or at least as old as the Confederacy. Upon the presidential election of Abraham Lincoln, a firm anti-slavery nominee, South Carolina decided to secede from the Union. This set off the Civil War, the deadliest war fought on American soil and an entire chapter in many middle school history textbooks.

Those poor middle school students, and those poor voters in 1860.

Imagine having the responsibility to keep the Union with only a pen and a ballot. That is the power Americans have always held and will once again wield during the midterm elections on Nov. 8. Fortunately, unless any of the Carolinas have been having rebellious ideas lately, voters in 2022 will not have the fate of the Union in their hands.

More recent elections have not set off any wars, but that doesn’t make them any less important.

Elections change with the times. With the invention of the TV, Democratic nominee John F. Kennedy gained a massive advantage a century after Lincoln was elected in the first-ever televised debate opposite Richard Nixon in 1960. Voters were swayed by Kennedy’s charm and youth, and if they had not been, one may wonder how then-serving President Nixon would have handled the Cuban Missile Crisis.

History now sees Kennedy as less than perfect, but voters made him president, thus changing the course of American history — for better or worse.

These days, every election seems to carry a monumental weight. The average informed voter on either side of the political spectrum may feel like an election loss is equal to the destruction of American morality and the potential downfall of democracy. Or even worse, to some choice individuals, it could spell the start of another civil war.

However, democracy only falls if we let it.

People in 1860 and 1960 rightly performed their responsibilities as citizens, judging the candidates’ fitness for office as best as they could. In all fairness, citizens in 1960 had it better than in 1860, considering neither Kennedy nor Nixon were pro-slavery.

But no one could have foreseen a completely abolitionist ballot in 1860.

Hindsight is a gift and a curse. We wonder how our predecessors acted so ignorant while simultaneously making the same mistakes.

So, turn out to the polls on Nov. 8. You may not be voting to prevent a civil war, but you will be voting for individuals to represent you in matters like abortion rights, immigration, college debt, gun rights and health care.

These topics are what are glaring at us collectively, and to whittle the importance of elections down to a generalized perception of the evil “other side” is a disservice to democracy and the true issues at hand.

No one knows the consequences of the little bubble you fill in when choosing your representatives. However, that dread should not overwhelm American voters, especially considering the U.S. has been trailing lately in voter participation behind other developed nations.

This is not the time to be wary of exercising your rights as a citizen. We have a chance to maintain a relatively young democracy that still has a good amount of gas in the tank.

Fire won’t rain down from the heavens if people elect the wrong candidate. All we can do is try our best, and presuming the Carolinas don’t have rebellious thoughts anytime soon, we can worry less about a potential civil war and focus on the larger issues at hand.

Aaron is a freshman in DGS.

aaronda3@dailyillini.com

The post Opinion | Democracy has hope despite political climate appeared first on The Daily Illini.

More Americans are able to name the tallest dinosaur that ever lived than recall the name of the sixth president of the United States. 

Admittedly, this may not be as much of an established statistic as one that is intentionally eye-grabbing, but hopefully, it did its job. The fact that this statement is believable in the first place speaks volumes. It might be worthwhile to dissect what the brachiosaurus really has over John Quincy Adams. 

It’s not most people’s fault. From an early age, dinosaurs are one of the most captivating subjects imaginable, enough for a number of studies to be conducted on their influence on young minds and how they often continue to hold interest into adulthood. 

Now, ask any child who their favorite president is, and you’ll be defied to hear any response other than the first one or the one with the tall funny hat. 

The vigor children hold for things like dinosaurs in their developmental years is healthy and a sign of intellectual growth. This is aided by encouragement from teachers and parents, who embolden them to dive deeper into their obsessions. Indulging such interests is seen by many experts as a way to construct a firm base of learning techniques that will allow children to more easily grasp complicated subjects in the future. 

Yet, John Quincy Adams is left out in the cold.

There is absolutely no problem in children learning about Jurassic history and its many warm-blooded denizens, but what much present youth lack and fail to carry into adulthood is an awareness and appreciation of their own history.

This is not to say that all Americans walk around wondering who that giant marble man sitting across from the Washington Monument is, but history is far more than memorizing dates and dusty oil-painted faces. It tells the story of who we are and gives us a greater understanding of our neighbors. 

Spanish philosopher George Santayana famously said, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” With a clear declining appreciation for history and the failure of many schools to touch on integral events in the fabric of American history, one may wonder if repetition is closer than expected. 

The brachiosaurus is as wonderful as they come. But dive deeper. 

We are citizens of a country with more skeletons in its closet than a Halloween decoration store — as is often the case with nations over 60 seconds old. Americans have a duty to be aware of their history, but they so often neglect it. 

It is clearly valuable to be merely aware of the core events in U.S. history — the writing of the Constitution, the Civil War, the civil rights movement and so on. But to know the driving and opposing ideologies, biases and cultural contexts behind them grants us a better appreciation for how they affect the very world we live in today and teaches us how to best navigate it as educated American citizens. 

If you prefer, ditch John Quincy Adams and study someone genuinely interesting, like his father, the first Adams. Just stay aware of the world around you, and don’t let history repeat itself too soon. Remember how the dinosaurs turned out? 

Aaron is a freshman in DGS.

aaronda3@dailyillini.com

The post Opinion | Ditch dinosaurs: Learn John Quincy Adams appeared first on The Daily Illini.

Democracy can be a burden. Ask any American. 

What a weight it can be to live in the greatest country in the world and yet, there’s something missing — your own voice. Why should those fossils on Capitol Hill get their 15 minutes and then some, and you’re left to bear with the runoff of whatever sewage-stained legislation they’ve decided to implement.

That burden can be lifted. Don’t vote.

It’s not like your vote matters, anyway. It’s not like the people who do vote have any grasp of what they’re saying, going so far as to determine which candidate’s bubble they fill in based on their level of physical attractiveness or the mood they find themselves in that day.  

But worry not. You can still make a difference. 

Don’t vote. 

To protest is an American right, and you’re going to exercise that right straight down to Pennsylvania Avenue. On Nov. 8, let Washington hear those silent cries of defiance as you further wear an indent into your sofa instead of joining the 36% of Americans who do turn out to the midterm polls.  

It’s not like that 36% statistic was an optimistic increase between 2014 and 2018 among all ethnic groups and voting ages. One can only idly dream of what difference that could make, disregarding the fact that during the 2018 midterms, young voter turnout doubled. But who cares, it’s only the midterms. 

Midterms couldn’t be less important.    

They don’t even decide anything pivotal like presidential elections do. All midterms are good for is controlling the balance of power within Congress, giving voters a chance to determine which political party holds the majority. It’s not like they’re going to pass any important laws that regard hotly contested topics that directly affect voters.  

With every House seat and a third of Senate seats up for grabs, no one can really be expected to keep up. Power shifts constantly in Washington. Even if the Democrats lose both the House and Senate, which to some appears likely, all that would happen is a massive shift in the legislation that is pursued in Congress. 

Power will end up shifting again with the next president of the opposite party like it always does. 

By using your First Amendment rights and abandoning your 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th amendments, you will be launching a protest of the highest order. By not showing up to your nearest polling place or sealing an envelope, you will have Congress shaking in their boots. They want you to vote, to show an opinion — it’s not like they’re going to run the government their way. 

As a member of this great democracy, always remember your rights and the beautiful freedom to neglect them. No one has ever sacrificed anything for voting rights, nor will they ever. All democracy means to voters these days is a horde of decrepit buffoons in monkey suits, sitting in a rectangle and talking in circles. 

Forget your Frederick Douglasses, your Martin Luther King Jr.’s, your Emmeline Pankhurst’s and your Susan B. Anthony’s. 

What they fought for is now in your hands. Use it wisely. 

Aaron is a freshman in DGS.

aaronda3@dailyillini.com

The post Satire | Opinion | Be a good American: Don’t vote. appeared first on The Daily Illini.