The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 14

November 10, 2020 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 10 Opinions Have romantic novels and comedies ruined my life? So far, I have lived and thought of my life like I was zapped into a romantic comedy. I have made up fantastical situations in my head about how I was bound to meet the love of my life in some clandestine way. I have thought that we would be in a grocery store and our carts would hit each other or I would spill my coffee on him on my way out of the Starbucks we have always been going to. However, our paths never seemed to cross. My life, all 19 years of it, so far, have been a complete and utter farce. I fear one of the reasons I have not been out in society is because I have been waiting for my own Mr. Darcy or James Fraser to enter my life and change it all. I guess it is not always rewarding to be a lover of romantic novels. I have been completely brainwashed into believing that life is just how it is depicted in the movies. How could I have made such a great misconception? How am I supposed to stop pretending that I am Julia Roberts in “Notting Hill” or “Pretty Woman?” Where is my Hugh Grant or my Richard Gere? I think it is impossible for a self- proclaimed romantic like myself not to let rom-coms rule my life. I want to believe that life is not as crappy as it actually is. I want to believe that love is the center of the universe. I want to believe that falling in love is not a transaction of sex and a few kisses. I want to be utterly and incandescently happy to the point where I believe nothing could possibly go wrong in my life. I want that same happy ending that most of the romantic movies seem to have. I want someone to make me fall apart and yet put me back together. I willingly surrender my soul to romantic novels and comedies for as long as I live at the expense of a grasp on reality because life is so much better when wearing rose-colored glasses. We are still left in the aftermath Our rights are not a debatable topic Can you try and be more understanding? Over the past four years, a lot of things have come to an ugly head in America. We’ve watched white supremacists march proudly, we’ve watched voters be turned away illegally at polls, we’ve watched fires start and spread and hurricanes ravage whole cities. It seems like every day there is a new horrible thing happening in the U.S. Whether or not you agree, one thing is clear: our country has been divided. Many people looked towards the 2020 election as a way to move on from all the problems that have arisen during Trump’s presidency. While nearly half of America viewed president Trump as a great enough leader to vote for him again, many voters believed that electing Biden would immediately make America better than it has been. Sadly, this isn’t the case. If Biden is elected president, the issues are still there, Trans rights are human rights. Black lives matter. Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. No one is illegal on stolen land. Her body, her choice. Love is love. How are statements like these seen as controversial? They should not be. Human rights should not be up for debate. If you claim that this is just a difference of opinions, I have some questions for you. What is wrong with you? Where is your empathy? Why do you feel that people who are not like you are beneath you? For someone to wholeheartedly believe that human rights are up for debate, they must have no sense of empathy. Some conservatives love to preach about their individual rights and the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but they stand against giving those rights to people who disagree with them. What part of letting doctors deny trans people medical care or allowing police to get away with brutalizing and murdering people of color in cold blood promotes the right to life? Where is the right to liberty when peaceful protestors are beaten and tear gassed? Where are the individual freedoms when women want bodily autonomy? They simply do not care about the rights of others; they only want submission and control. Criminalizing abortion and ripping As we are coming to the end of the semester here at NSU, I have noticed a repeating pattern in regards to some of the courses I am taking, and my peers have noticed the same pattern. However, before I specifically state out what the pattern is, let us see if you can figure it out yourself. Let us imagine two scenarios. Professor A teaches a class at NSU via the BlendFlex model. Professor A communicates with his/ her students often about assignments and has a realistic understanding of certain students’ capabilities during these unprecedented times. Professor A adjusts his/her syllabus based on how the course is naturally progressing. Meanwhile, Professor B also teaches deeply ingrained into our society. While Trump may have stoked the flames, social issues like racism, classism and homophobia have always laid in wait in the woodwork. Simply electing a new president and calling it a day will not solve all of the problems we are facing. If we want to make things better, we have to single out those problems, focus on them and lobby for real change. We have to participate not only in federal elections, but in local ones as well. We have to put our energy into campaigns that will spend that energy supporting us and fighting for those issues. Not only do we have to put energy into electing local officials who will truly represent the wants and needs of the people they serve, but we need to hold our federal elects accountable. Many people dislike criticizing a politician they themselves voted for in fear that it might lead to a loss for them in future elections. But up the rights to free speech and protest are just another step in the road towards a real- life “Handmaid’s Tale.” This is not a matter of debate. For many, this is life or death. Discrimination in healthcare is illegal, people are being beaten in the streets by those sworn to protect and serve. Right-wing extremist groups are threatening mass murder. As a nation, each day we inch closer to the dystopian hellscapes that filled the pages of young adult novels many of us grew up reading. An impeached president that was openly endorsed by the KKK and the Taliban was somehow still viable for people. A man who built a platform off of bigotry and hatred got on the ballot. Trump called to “make America great again,” but when was America great? The only good answer I can think of is before 1492. A nation built on the genocide of the native inhabitants of the land can never be great as long as those that were crushed by the building of this country are still trampled underfoot. As a country, we will never be great as long as there is inequality, and as Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” a class at NSU via the BlendFlex model. Professor B took his/her class and simply put it online without any adjustments. Professor B does not check in with the students and refuses to hear feedback on assignments and make any changes to the course, regardless of student circumstances. It is inherently clear which professor you would want to teach the classes you are taking. There is an obvious fault in the teaching style of Professor B. As a student who experienced both of these types of professors this semester, I can safely say that I am fed up with Professor B, and in case you are still lost, the pattern here is that there are way too many professors like the only way we can progress as a nation is to see our faults for what they are and hold our officials accountable, even if they’re a member of our own party. Finally, we have to hold ourselves accountable. We have work to do, and while real change happens within the sanctions of legality, we can advocate for that change. We can encourage our friends and family to vote and educate them on issues they may not be aware of. Those conversations can be hard, but they’re necessary. In an age where honest information and nationwide statistics are available at our fingertips, we have no excuse to be leaving the people we care about in the dark on issues that are important to us. Electing a new president is a step in the right direction, but if we ever want America to be truly great, we need to keep working. We need to push for the issues that are important to us, we need to hold both ourselves and our elected representatives accountable, and most importantly, we need to behave empathetically. Just because an issue isn’t affecting you directly does not mean it is not dire. It is when issues are left unnoticed or ignored that they are allowed to grow into huge problems. We need to keep pushing for a bright future past the 2020 presidential election. By: Ana Maria Soto Contributing Writer By: Sofia Gallus Arts & Entertainment Editor “ But the only way we can progress as a nation is to see our faults for what they are and hold our officials accountable, even if they’re a member of our own party. By: Alexander Martinie Opinions Editor Professor B at NSU. Learning online can be tricky enough, but add to that the global pandemic and the election. Attending “Zoom University” went from tricky to ridiculous. We are currently living in unprecedented and turbulent times, and as a student, it feels as if some professors disregard that information. I honestly do not know if I can put myself through another semester like this, especially when we have professors who are unwilling to accommodate their students. If a professor is unwilling to hear feedback about the course, especially during this point in time, there is clearly something wrong. I refuse to sit back and put up with a class that is going to cause more harm than good to my mental state and my future. I have and always will put my all into my coursework, but professors, I am pleading for you to act more like Professor A than Professor B. You never know what someone may be going through during these crazy times and having just a little bit of extra understanding and accommodation goes a long way. This year especially, a class cannot always be taught the same way that it has been taught years prior. We are living in a new time, an unknown time, and as an educational professional, that should be understood. Give students a break, please. We are trying our hardest, and Professor B, you are not making this easy. By: Rick Esner News Editor