Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
May 31, 2023

Opinion

The opinions presented below are solely the views of the author and do not represent the views of The News-Letter. If you are a member of the Hopkins community looking to submit a piece or a letter to the editor, please email opinions@jhunewsletter.com.



CHARLES DELUVIO / UNPLASH
Felix assesses the 2020 election, arguing that the rationales of Trump supporters are more complex than most Biden supporters.

Diagnosing the psychological factors at play in the 2020 election

The polarization of the 2020 presidential election felt inescapable. The “ride or die” individuals in each party didn’t just differ in political beliefs but seemed to experience different realities. Hinting at this polarization, 56% of registered democrats stated their support for President-elect Joe Biden stemmed from their aversion to President Donald Trump.







GAGE SKIDMORE / CC BY SA-2.0
Bali argues that Biden’s “big-tent” approach to the election will pose as challenges to his administration. 

Biden must not put bipartisanship before his base

After almost two years of campaigning, followed by four long days of Americans anxiously calculating electoral vote totals, Former Vice President Joe Biden was finally declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Biden will assume the presidency as the candidate who received the most votes in history, and California Sen. Kamala Harris will be the first woman, the first Asian American and the first Black American to serve as vice president of the U.S. 


FILE PHOTO
York dispels underclassmen concerns over selecting a major, arguing that there is no such thing as a useless major. 

Busting the myth of useless majors

As a new college student, it’s exhausting to encounter article after article with titles such as “The 10 worst college majors to choose if you want a high-paying job,” “The 15 most useless college degrees” and “The college majors that are worth it.”



FILE PHOTO
Tie won’t feel comfortable returning to the U.S. unless the University outlines comprehensive strategies to assist international students.

Hopkins must take extra steps to support international students during reopening

This week, University leadership announced plans to resume on-campus activities this spring. According to a broadcast email from University President Ronald J. Daniels, Provost Sunil Kumar and Interim Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Mary Miller, students are allowed but not required to come back to campus for in-person classes and research, while the gym and library will reopen with adjusted, reduced occupancy.  



VWEAA / CC BY SA-4.0
Bali argues that Democrats did not fight hard enough to prevent Barrett’s confirmation.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation is the Democrats’ biggest failure

At the end of her life, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.” Less than six weeks later, Amy Coney Barrett — a hardcore conservative with only three years of judicial experience — has filled Ginsburg’s seat on the highest court in the United States.  


Letter to the Editor 10/29/2020

If you’ve been online recently, there has been much discussion on the left surrounding the efficacy of voting for Joe Biden. But here is the simple truth: The future of progressivism is, in no small part, hinged on defeating Donald Trump. Now, I will be clear: Voting for Joe Biden is neither the alpha nor the omega. We should be protesting under Trump; we should be protesting under Biden. 


Letter to the Editor 10/28/2020

While I appreciate and encourage your interest in safety issues around campus, I find your editorial to be based on unfounded conjecture, insulting to victims and belittling of the trauma that they have experienced.  



Suppressing negative emotions is bad for you and society

Happiness is a relatively abstract feeling. Jussi Suikkanen, a scholar of philosophy and ethics, defines happiness as “the state we are in when we feel contentment, satisfaction, euphoria and the like.” With happiness, one is so content with their status quo that they no longer feel any need to change or move toward a different state.  



PUBLIC DOMAIN / JOHN D'CRUZ
DESIGN BY LAKSHAY SOOD
Faced with two subpar candidates and a broken political system, Nelson defends the decision not to cast a ballot while Jin makes the case for progressives and leftists to vote Biden. 

Opposing Viewpoints: Joe Biden is not my hero. You should still vote for him.

Former Vice President Joe Biden is not my hero. Following the 10th Democratic primary debate, I publicly shared that I would support any of the other Democratic candidates on stage (barring Bloomberg) over him. I spent Super Tuesday holding signs for Bernie, which included getting spit on and yelled slurs by Biden supporters heading home from Boston's Financial Center. When Biden became the presumptive nominee, my first reaction was that if this were any other country, the Democratic Party — whose candidate did not represent my ideals — would not be my party. But this morning, I still voted for Biden.


COURTESY OF SHOURYA ARASHANAPALLI
On Monday, the Office of Campus Safety and Security issued a public safety advisory about someone’s pants being pulled down in the 100 block of West 39th Street.

Is there really an uptick in carjackings, or is Hopkins trying to promote the private police force?

Last week, the University issued a public safety advisory reporting an uptick in carjackings in the Northern Police District, which includes Homewood Campus. In the report, Campus Safety and Security advised students to be aware of their surroundings, and if they are the victim of a carjacking they should surrender any requested property and report the crime as soon as possible.