Viewpoints

There’s always room for debate on topics ranging from politics to philosophy to culture at USC. Join the conversation on both the big-ticket news items and local goings-on!

Gender equality in China: What happens after marriage?


By
 in ,
When you think China, the first thing that comes to mind probably isn’t gender equality. And why should it be, when many agricultural families still prefer boys to girls, and even urban families are mainly concerned with marrying their daughter off into a good family. So maybe I wasn’t the only one (pleasantly) surprised when […]

Dr. Davis and Diversity


By
 in ,
“I have a hard time accepting diversity as a synonym for justice.” – Dr. Angela Davis When a legend speaks, it’s best to listen. Around 850 people lined up to spend an evening with civil rights leader Dr. Angela Davis on Monday evening, many of them students, many of them grateful members of the surrounding […]

Deconstructing humor: Why we find things funny


By
 in ,
Last week, I discussed the appeal of offensive jokes as a vehicle to escape political correctness. The phenomenon of humor, however, extends far beyond just humor from offense and has puzzled philosophers for decades. It’s worth mentioning that many different theories persist to describe humor. Philosophers have posited that humor derives from feelings of superiority, […]

Proposing climate change legislation is a waste of paper


By
 2 Comments/in ,
This year, Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen plans on re-introducing legislation to reduce carbon emissions and address climate change. One would think that Hollen has reasons to be optimistic. On Monday, The New York Times reported that one of the main researchers who Republicans have referenced in their denial of human-caused climate change, Wei-Hong Soon, […]

A healthy dose of diversity and absurdity


By
 in ,
There’s something really endearing and weird that really cracks me up when I see pictures of unsuspecting animals wearing clothing. Snakes with hats. Baby goats with sweaters. Mice with glasses. I clearly spend too much time during lectures perusing Google Images for my own amusement. The sheer absurdity of the pictures keeps me coming back. […]

While it has broken records, Fifty Shades still lingers in gray area


By
 in ,
The Valentine’s weekend release of Fifty Shades of Grey was marketing genius. Not only did the film ride off the commercial success of the novel, but it also took advantage of the Valentine’s Day hype. Reeling in $93 million in less than a week, Fifty Shades grossed the highest amount of money for any film […]

There’s room for creative juices on dining hall menu


By
 in ,
Anyone who eats often enough at any one of USC’s residential dining halls knows that the food runs on a cyclic schedule. Fridays are usually the best nights at Parkside with salmon being a regular, and breakfast rotates the occasional pancakes or breakfast burritos, in addition to the main affair of eggs, bacon and waffles. […]