December 2023

Dear Reader,

On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants killed over 1,000 Israeli civilians in the deadliest attack on Israeli soil in its 76-year history [1]. In response, Israel has killed nearly 15,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, over the last two months. The heart-wrenching violence of the last two months is only the latest chapter in a conflict that has raged between Arabs and Jews in the land of historic Palestine for almost a century.

As we reflect back on 2023, there is a clear loser: the Walt Disney Company. As one of the most iconic and wealthy American corporations, it has captured the hearts of numerous generations around the world. Most BYU students grew up around the end of the Disney Renaissance in the 90's, with classics such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Toy Story, and The Lion King. In the 2000's who didn't imagine having a wand and drawing the Disney Channel logo during the commercial breaks? The 2010’s was another revival era, as Disney produced popular films while making record profits by acquiring Marvel and Star Wars and producing live-action remakes of their classic animated films.

In the tumultuous arena of immigration policy, the current system is fraught with challenges that demand our attention. What is wrong with immigration today? How does illegal immigration truly affect Americans? In this article, we will explore the economic and cultural impacts of immigration on the United States. By understanding the historical context, we can unravel the complexities that hinder open immigration today and propose a compelling argument for comprehensive reform.

Since 2022, college student interview videos have increased in popularity on social media. The general format of these videos goes like this: a person approaches a student on a college campus, asks said student various questions about social and political issues, then posts the video to a social media page. Most notably, interviews on BYU campus have gained much traction on social media. At the beginning of their popularity, BYU campus interviews generally included anti-BYU sentiments, aiming to criticize different BYU policies and practices. Recently, however, these interviews have shifted from a social commentary on BYU as an institution to a negative social commentary on BYU students.

The beloved holiday season is upon us, bringing with it a heightened sense of service, love, giving, and coziness. In the mix of such delightful spirits and feelings, all of us encounter what seems to be an inescapable bombardment of holiday greetings on signage outside of buildings, emails from your favorite brands, and in every interpersonal engagement. This festive cacophony often sparks conversations about the appropriateness of holiday greetings in our diverse and pluralistic society; the seemingly innocuous phrase "Happy Holidays" has emerged as a compromised attempt at being inclusive and culturally sensitive. However, beneath this linguistic shift lies a broader societal question–one that delves into the intricate relationship between the separation of church and state and the preservation of moral principles that have long guided our societal landscape legally, morally, and culturally. As we navigate this discourse, it becomes clear that the conversation extends beyond mere semantics; it is a reflection of our collective effort to strike a balance between diversity and the foundational values that bind us together.

It’s Christmas time and I’ve been thinking a lot about faith, charity, and international development. In the spirit of the season, I hope to explain why faith is not only an element of but essential to sustainable development abroad and at home.

One of these things is not like the others: 100% of Utah’s federal representatives are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 90% of Utah’s state officials are Church members, and 60% of Utah citizens are Church members [1].

The job seemed like a great fit. A passionate individual who wanted to work in supply chain management, I was hoping for an internship with a little more sparkle than a warehouse position. The job description asked for “game-changers” and gave me optimism—I thought I could be one of those game-changers. I interviewed, and I came with intensity, telling my interviewer I wanted to innovate. He responded by painting a picture of how he saw me, as someone who liked to have free rein in a work environment. That depiction of me was inaccurate, and I thought, “Had I lied to paint that picture?” No matter my internal qualms, I got the job. I found a culture of work in which people were passionate or at least acted like it. I, on the other hand, struggled to latch onto that passion; at the end of the day, our company was a middleman for ecommerce companies, especially supplement brands. How did I get into this job for which I was a poor fit?

I have been a writer for The Political Review since 2021. It has been one of the best experiences of my education experience, and I encourage all to apply, read, and engage with The Political Review. Since this will be my last article, I thought about what I would want my final message to be for my few (if any) readers. Although many lessons and rants came to mind, one stood out from them all: read Plato’s Republic. I consider it to be one the greatest political, ethical, and literary works of all time. Most do not feel this way, but I feel it my duty to at least entice you to read the Republic.

If you sit in on a conversation between my close friends and I, you’re likely to hear the question, “In this economy?” asked at least once. While we use this expression jokingly, most times to imply that something is too expensive and that we, as college students, don’t have money to pay for it, there is some merit to the idea that Gen Zers are soon to face financial trouble. After all, inflation is high, wages are low, and we are witnessing the results of ineffective policy to combat these controversies. So what is on Gen Z’s radar? Why should we be a little frenzied? Let’s talk about it.

“I couldn’t stand the idea of a woman having to have a single pure life and a man being able to have a double life, one pure and one not.” [1] Published in 1963 this sentence was a part of Sylvia Plath’s banned novel, The Bell Jar. A novel exploring the roles and expectations of women, Plath’s pen became her sword. She was suppressed due to the brutal honesty she utilized to explain how her role as Woman had become suffocating. She explored aspects of the womanhood she experienced in the 60’s, never shying away from the nitty gritty. Since Plath’s time the western world has experienced many changes and shifts when it comes to gender and its roles and expectations. Not only is this shift integral to where gender rights reside today, but it is also in line with human tendencies and history. In the “nineteenth century, ideas about gender started to change” [2] in the Western world. Women were becoming more independent and their identities started to detach from that of a man’s. Understandings of gender have changed in Africa, Latin America, and Asia due to colonial influences not meshing with traditional understandings of gender. There is much variation to how different indigenous cultures globally understand gender. Notions of gender and what it entails are not universally understood. Depending on region, family, culture, media, and religion, one’s understanding of gender and how it applies to them will change. [3] Oftentimes gender goes beyond a simple personal identification. In the Western world, gender is not just about identity but also about power. [4] Due to socialization we often have a very limited view and understanding of what gender is and what it can be to those around us. Understanding that humankind does not and has not viewed gender as a universal or unchanging standard is vital to truly understanding and empathizing with the transgender community.