Taylor Swift is many things to many people, but no one can deny her influence; her armies of die-hards seem ready to follow her to the ends of the earth. With great power should come responsibility, but to Nicole Teh SC ‘27, for whom Swift’s music will always conjure good memories, her actions seem more and more to represent something else.
Opinions
OPINION: Performative Men are the lesser evil
As whispers of Performative Men seem to be on every lip, while they simultaneously outdo us with their ‘grams and their ‘fits, they seem to 5C students like the pestilence that can’t pass soon enough. However, to Leili Kamali PO ‘29 and Ansley Kang SC ‘29, by not interrogating the psyche driving these misunderstood men, we risk moving in a worse direction.
OPINION: We should all be ashamed of our monolingualism
As a larger portion of Americans speak multiple languages than ever before, there is an alarming decrease in multilingual pursuits by students on college campuses across the nation. Amidst the implementation of ongoing mass deportations and racial profiling initiatives by the Trump administration, “learning languages serves as a small but effective tool in order to push back against authoritarian efforts to make our nation less diverse,” Alex Benach PO‘28 writes. Benach wants students to take personal responsibility in realizing the inclusive and diverse vision of America that many claim to value deeply by learning languages other than their native tongue in order to foster a better understanding of the diverse perspectives around them.
OPINION: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act was ugly — Gabrielle Starr’s response was somehow uglier
The passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act on July 3 has many implications for the nation: It strips healthcare and SNAP benefits from millions, thoroughly changes federal financial aid, gives the most significant tax cuts to the top 5 percent and repeals most climate change initiatives, just to name a few. But the cherry on top for Jun Kwon PO ’28 was the response to H.R. 1, Section 70415 from Gabrielle Starr, the president of Pomona College.
OPINION: Nationalist advertisement is the new plague in American politics
The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” has passed, rushing through the House and Senate on the back of a Republican majority — not on the merits of its policy. Following the discussion among elected officials in early July, the Republican party is straying from their mission to protect the American people and instead relying on marketing to present its agenda as the solution to American malaise. Celeste Cariker PZ ‘28 campaigns for a return to truth in American politics, demanding for policy solutions in the face of shiny marketing from the Republican party.
OPINION: Good morning, Governor Newsom
Good morning, Governor Newsom, glad to see you have woken up and redeveloped your spine, and stand up to President Trump in the face of ICE raids and mobilization of the National Guard in response to No Kings demonstrations. However, Akshay Seetharam HM ‘27, along with many other California democrats want to see if you can capitalize on this political moment, taking a real stand against tyranny, instead of returning to your duplicitous ways.
OPINION: Claremont students must prepare for the AI revolution
AI is already used in driverless cars, customer service, search engines and travel agencies, and next it might come for your job. Malin Moeller, SC’ 27 argues that we should be cognizant of the possible constriction of the American labor market, and that we can no longer afford to conscientiously object.
OPINION: Celebrating the oppressors: How corporatized pride harms queer liberation
This June, pride month celebrations and protests are backlit by political unrest spurred by ICE raids, mobilization of the California National Guard against protestors in Los Angeles and police response to protests. In light of these imminent threats to undocumented members of the queer community, LA Pride organizers stated that they were “actively working with local Law Enforcement to ensure a safe and welcoming environment at all Pride events.” Evan Sevaly, CM ’26 argues that the cognitive dissonance of asking the members of the queer community to put their trust in the same people who are persecuting them is indicative of how pride has been leveraged by the forces it was found to fight against.
OPINION: You should judge a book by its cover
The age-old adage “don’t judge a book by its cover” is a good directive in general life, but Elias Diwan PO ’28 argues we can leave that judgement to the door when it comes to actual books. Book covers have become a site for formulation and homogenization, Diwan believes that we shouldn’t leave the cover at the door.
OPINION: How studying in Scandinavia kills your ego — and why you should let it
Copenhagen is having a bit of a moment, and Molly Murphey SC ’26 argues that the Danish styles and colorful harbors are only a small portion of everything Denmark has to offer. After a semester abroad, Murphey reflects on Scandinavian values like hygge — a cozy contentment — and Janteloven’s anti-ego ethos, through which she learned to let go of the constant need to strive.