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After a 1996 mass shooting in Australia in which a man killed 35 people, the Australian government banned semi-automatic guns, self-loading rifles, and shotguns. In May of 2018, a family of seven was found shot to death, marking Australia’s first mass shooting in 22 years. In the U.S., by May of 2018, there had already been 79 mass shootings, according to Business Insider [1]. There is no standardized definition of “mass shooting,” so Business Insider based its statistic on the definition used by the Gun Violence Archive: “a single incident in which four or more people…are shot and/or killed in the same general time and location” [2]. Though the definition is flexible, the U.S. undeniably has a gun violence problem. There have been so many mass shootings in even just the past decade that it’s difficult to remember them all: Las Vegas, Pulse Nightclub, Sandy Hook Elementary, Thousand Oaks, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Squirrel Hill, Aurora—this list, and the lives lost, goes on and on.
4 Min Read
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Between 1960 and 1996, over 200,000 Guatemalans were killed, and 40,000 more “disappeared,” never to be heard from again. A U.N.-backed truth committee discovered in 1997 that the Guatemalan government was responsible for 93 percent of these deaths and that over 83 percent of those killed were Mayan [1]. This period, known as the Guatemalan Civil War (or Dirty War), marks one of the darkest periods in the country’s history—and is typically regarded as a closed chapter. However, recent events in Guatemala demonstrate that the corruption and violence that characterized this hellish period are rapidly returning, and a closer investigation reveals that perhaps this Dirty War never really ended.
4 Min Read
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In May 2018, the Salt Lake Tribune published a commentary piece from two high school students in Utah arguing that Utah’s public school system needs comprehensive sex education (C.S.E.). A few weeks later, another student responded to the piece stating the exact opposite: in a commentary article titled “Utah Students Don’t Need or Want Comprehensive Sex Education,” Heather Ellis argued that students are already receiving information about contraception and sexuality, and that a formal institution of this sort of curriculum would not only be unnecessary, but detrimental to students’ sexual and social health [1]. Despite this opinion, which is shared by at least some of Utah’s students and parents, scientific and social studies demonstrate that comprehensive sex education is the best way to ensure the health and safety of students and society—and although some aspects of Utah sex ed are lacking, the state is already beginning to increase the comprehensiveness of its sex education policy.
4 Min Read
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A recent article published by the B.B.C. described a modern politician like this: “[he] has insulted women and homosexuals…and attacked political correctness. His comments deeply divided voters and, while some expressed a dislike for him, others felt he was the outsider needed to…rough up the establishment.” Surprisingly, the politician being referred to is not Donald Trump, but Brazil’s president elect, Jair Bolsonaro. After running on a platform that emphasized both his own military background and his support for Brazil’s former dictatorship, Bolsonaro emerged victorious from Brazil’s presidential election in October. The former military captain’s divisive rhetoric centers on a nostalgia for the days of Brazil’s authoritative military regime: he has said that the only failure of this regime was that they didn’t kill enough dissidents to maintain control. This fondness for past violence, coupled with regressive environmental, educational, and immigration policies, have endeared him to some and made him repellent to others. In the current political climate, however, this type of volatile relationship between an elected government official and the country’s citizens is not unusual: the U.S. has Trump, the Philippines have Duterte, Russia has Putin, and Turkey has Erdogan. In the wake of the cultural and political upheaval of the last half of the 20th century, many nations have surrendered to leaders whose forceful nature and conservative political values create an image of a capable arbiter of order. But Bolsonaro’s election is an indication that, even if order is the desired outcome, the ends do not justify the means if the result is intolerance, destruction, and hate.
4 Min Read
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Catholics Are Skeptical of Pope Francis, But We Need Him Now More Than Ever
5 Min Read
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Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a member of the Morena party, was elected the president of Mexico on July 1, 2018, signaling a distinct shift in Mexico’s political climate. López Obrador, nicknamed AMLO, ran on a platform of poverty relief and governmental transparency—promises as enticing to the Mexican people as they are difficult to achieve. Many Mexicans and world citizens interested in international news view this election as the start of a new era in Mexican politics. While AMLO’s win is perhaps unprecedented, an analysis of Mexican history and AMLO’s campaign clarify that the 2018 election was certainly historic, but not as revolutionary as some might think.
4 Min Read
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