opinion – News Stories About opinion - Page 22

There's a Big Problem
With Mass Shooting Stats

OPINION

Dec 4, 2015 12:04 PM CST

There's a Big Problem With Mass Shooting Stats

Lack of a proper definition can blur our understanding, writes essayist

(Newser) - Were you floored by the finding that we've had more mass shootings than days this year? So was Mark Follman. According to Mother Jones , where Follman is an editor, there have been only four mass shooting this year—including the one in San Bernardino—and only 73 since 1982....

Why Art Should
Hit You Over
the Head

OPINION

Nov 2, 2015 12:06 PM CST

Why Art Should Hit You Over the Head

Subtlety isn't all it's cracked up to be, writes Forrest Wickman

(Newser) - Forrest Wickman isn't a fan of subtlety in art, though he's probably in the minority. Today we tend to use phrases like "hits you over the head" or "lacks subtlety" as criticisms—a trend that came with the rise of highbrow and lowbrow cultural hierarchies in...

Engineer: I Dodged SF Rent, Live in Spider-Filled Van

Rents too damn high, send female software engineer to live in camper

(Newser) - Katharine Patterson has to be very quiet when she's typing at night. Not because she's afraid of disturbing a sleeping spouse or baby, but because she doesn't want anyone in her San Francisco Bay neighborhood to hear sounds coming from inside the van where she lives. In...

Librarian: I Banned a Book,
Reaction Was Disappointing

OPINION

Oct 2, 2015 12:55 PM CDT

Librarian: I Banned a Book, Reaction Was Disappointing

Lots of outrage, little action, librarian writes

(Newser) - "In the library world, access to information is a human right, not to be tampered with or controlled in any way." That's how Scott DiMarco, a library director at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, starts off his piece in the Conversation . He points out the "balance in...

Clinton's Slap
at Keystone
Shows Her
Primary Fears

OPINION

Sep 23, 2015 9:15 AM CDT

Clinton's Slap at Keystone Shows Her Primary Fears

Appealing to liberal Dems now may help her in primary, but not in general: 'WaPo'

(Newser) - Take a step back from the general election, but take two steps forward toward the Democratic primary. That seems to be the strategy behind Hillary Clinton's announcement yesterday that she opposed the Keystone XL pipeline , writes Philip Bump for the Washington Post , asserting that Clinton may have purposely timed...

Couple Lives
Like Victorians,
Internet Sneers

Sep 10, 2015 2:08 PM CDT

Couple Lives Like Victorians, Internet Sneers

Sarah Chrisman says she simply loves the lifestyle, but others are calling her out

(Newser) - If someone wants to dress every day in a corset, store perishables in an icebox, and forgo electricity and other modern comforts, she should be able to do so without fear of reprisal. That's Sarah Chrisman's take in her Vox essay , in which she defends the Victorian-era lifestyle...

Colbert: He's
Not Letterman,
but He Doesn't
Need to Be

OPINION

Sep 9, 2015 9:15 AM CDT

Colbert: He's Not Letterman, but He Doesn't Need to Be

Critics give new 'Late Show' host a thumbs-up for energetic start

(Newser) - Stephen Colbert's long-awaited takeover of The Late Show took place last night , and the critics are weighing in. The overall consensus: He may not be David Letterman's clone, but that's probably not what we want anyway. The consensus is Colbert looks to be a solid addition to...

Let's Consider
Taxing Elite
Colleges' Huge
Endowments

OPINION

Sep 8, 2015 1:44 PM CDT

Let's Consider Taxing Elite Colleges' Huge Endowments

Harvard, Yale, et al. are getting richer while state schools scramble: Slate writer

(Newser) - As the student-loan struggle continues and presidential candidates try to come up with ways to help middle-class and disadvantaged students attend college, there are stockpiles of money that are benefiting the most affluent, unfettered by government taxation: the endowments of elite colleges, Jordan Weissmann writes for Slate . And that's...

Biden, You Can't
Beat Clinton—
but Go for It Anyway

OPINION

Aug 26, 2015 1:57 PM CDT

Biden, You Can't Beat Clinton— but Go for It Anyway

His entry could cause a helpful shake-up: Dana Milbank

(Newser) - Some say it won't be pretty if Joe Biden takes on Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president. Dana Milbank, meanwhile, writes in the Washington Post that he doesn't think the VP will end up running, and that even if he does, he wouldn't beat Clinton....

Hillary vs. Joe?
It Wouldn't Be Pretty

OPINION

Aug 25, 2015 1:19 PM CDT

Hillary vs. Joe? It Wouldn't Be Pretty

Daily Beast writer says it could get pretty 'acrimonious,' actually

(Newser) - The rumor mill has been in overdrive that Joe Biden is seriously considering a presidential run, especially after he lunched with Elizabeth Warren over the weekend. But if the VP does indeed jump into the fray, it could be a "game-changer," Michael Tomasky writes for the Daily Beast...

Gloating Over
Duggar Doesn't
Make Madison
Leak Right

OPINION

Aug 20, 2015 11:30 AM CDT

Gloating Over Duggar Doesn't Make Madison Leak Right

Salon writer says redirect ire to hackers sifting 'through our most intimate data'

(Newser) - Addressing what she calls the "cesspool story" of the Ashley Madison data leak , Mary Elizabeth Williams acknowledges in Salon the schadenfreude that's taken hold after revelations came to light of Josh Duggar possibly being among the exposed cheaters. "On the spectrum of individuals whose glass houses seem...

Why Robot-Human
Marriages Are 'Inevitable'

OPINION

Aug 11, 2015 12:31 PM CDT

Why Robot-Human Marriages Are 'Inevitable'

It comes down to human rights, not robot rights: Gary Marchant

(Newser) - Being married to a robot could be pretty sweet: It could care for you, offer companionship, even have sex with you . Are we creeping you out yet? Well, you might as well get used to the idea. "The era of love and sex with robots has begun," writes...

Why I'm Glad
Cecil the Lion
Is Dead

OPINION

Aug 5, 2015 12:03 PM CDT

Why I'm Glad Cecil the Lion Is Dead

Goodwell Nzou says Cecil wasn't 'beloved,' he was a terror

(Newser) - Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer may regret killing Cecil the Lion during an apparently illegal hunt in Zimbabwe, but at least one person is relieved there's one less lion on the prowl. Goodwell Nzou, a Zimbabwe native studying in the US, says he had no idea who Cecil was when...

Iowa Paper to
Trump: Get Out,
'Feckless Blowhard'

OPINION

Jul 21, 2015 6:38 AM CDT

Iowa Paper to Trump: Get Out, 'Feckless Blowhard'

'Des Moines Register' says real estate mogul has 'polluted' our political process

(Newser) - The Des Moines Register, the publication Politico calls "Iowa's most influential newspaper" doesn't think Donald Trump should be in the race, period, and that he should "pull the plug on his bloviating side show." An editorial published last night says Trump's concentration on his...

David Brooks: Get Over the Sins of the Past, Ta-Nehisi

OPINION

Jul 17, 2015 12:02 PM CDT

David Brooks: Get Over the Sins of the Past, Ta-Nehisi

Calls Ta-Nehisi Coates' 'rejection of American dream' in new book 'disturbing'

(Newser) - Everyone is talking about Ta-Nehisi Coates' new book , Between the World and Me, including New York Times columnist David Brooks. In an op-ed published today, written letter-style to Coates in the same way Coates addressed his book to his 14-year-old son, Brooks acknowledges that "the last year has been...

Lawyer Defends Harper Lee's New Book, Hints at 3rd

Jul 13, 2015 11:10 AM CDT

Lawyer Defends Harper Lee's New Book, Hints at 3rd

Tonja Carter maintains she found 'Go Set a Watchman' manuscript last year

(Newser) - Harper Lee's lawyer is standing her ground after the New York Times cast doubt on the discovery of Go Set a Watchman , the sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird out tomorrow. Though the Times suggested the manuscript was uncovered in the presence of Tonja Carter in 2011, she says...

Staged Your
Proposal?
Congrats,
Narcissist

OPINION

Jun 18, 2015 1:59 PM CDT

Staged Your Proposal? Congrats, Narcissist

Bella Mackie would rather you be subtle, because 'nobody really cares'

(Newser) - Plenty were left dewy-eyed by Matthew Dick's marriage proposal to his girlfriend, spelled out in a paper’s crossword puzzle this week. One who wasn’t: Bella Mackie. "While it's always nice to know that people want to declare their love so publicly," she writes at...

Midwest Mayor's
Op-Ed Makes Waves

Jun 17, 2015 8:11 AM CDT

Midwest Mayor's Op-Ed Makes Waves

Pete Buttigieg of South Bend: Being gay is 'part of who I am'

(Newser) - The Democratic mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is speaking out about his support for gay marriage—though not for the first time—and offering up a very personal reason: "I was well into adulthood before I was prepared to acknowledge the simple fact that I am gay," Pete...

Game of Thrones:
Lots of Shock, No Awe

OPINION

Jun 15, 2015 1:12 PM CDT

Game of Thrones: Lots of Shock, No Awe

Besides all the rape and murder, show was 'nothing special': 'Slate' writer

(Newser) - While everyone else was OMGing during last night's Game of Thrones finale , Willa Paskin was likely doing a lot of eye-rolling. Over at Slate , she digests the finale, puts it into the context of the entire season, and concludes the show is as exciting as … the weather. "...

You Guys,
Stop Saying
'You Guys'

OPINION

Jun 12, 2015 12:28 PM CDT

You Guys, Stop Saying 'You Guys'

Vox writer says oft-used phrase promotes sexism, even if it's not intentional

(Newser) - Jenee Desmond-Harris admits that she used to start many of her social media posts with the informal and conversational "you guys" greeting, and her initial reaction to the idea of banishing the phrase was "oh, come on." But now she's ready to purge the popular phrase...