With the rise of social networking as a viable medium for debate, political messaging has changed the way we view public opinion. Companies, for example, have strategies for increasing “engagement” and “brand awareness” on social networks, and media organizations often troll Facebook and Twitter for everything from sources to story[Read More…]
Opinion
Opinions from our editorial board and contributors.
A chance to disconnect
Two weekends ago, both my roommate and I lost our phones within the same span of 24 hours—hers an iPhone, mine a Blackberry. I found her bedridden the next day, practically in withdrawal. I, on the other hand, felt strangely contented. There was something very liberating about the 10 days[Read More…]
Fortier’s appointment a reflection of McGill’s values
Last week, the Board of Governors’ (BoG) announcement that Dr. Suzanne Fortier has been selected as the next Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill was accompanied by a flurry of press releases, interviews, and profiles introducing her to the McGill community. There were a few points about her that stood out[Read More…]
Trudeau’s vision for politics
There is no doubt that Justin Trudeau is a leader. His charisma, his popularity, and his passion are hallmark characteristics of his speeches and image, and these traits have contributed to his success. In a recent National Post article by Mike de Souza, Trudeau is praised for his decisive lead[Read More…]
McGill should not bear brunt of budget cuts
December’s announcement of the drastic budget cuts facing McGill shocked the administration and the entire student body. While the cuts affect all of Quebec, there has been an emerging opinion among some Quebecers that McGill and other English-speaking universities should bear the brunt of these cuts. The argument is that[Read More…]
The story behind the story
How do you measure a year? Maybe you do it in days, or maybe, like every other student at McGill, in the number of all-nighters left before the first day of summer vacation begins. The Tribune does it in words; 832,000 of them. Each week, the 20 editors of the[Read More…]
Why can’t boys like cartoon ponies?
The season three finale of Hasbro’s animated series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic aired earlier this month. The children’s show has attracted an unexpected adult male fan base called “bronies,” a phenomenon that has garnered attention and sparked much gender-based debate. A long history of gender-exclusive children’s programming has[Read More…]
A role for chance?
Everyone who gets into an elite university, including our own, probably feels at one time or another that they were deserving of meriting acceptance into the school, and that the admissions committee did not reach this decision lightly. A highly revealing article published by Ron Unz in The American Conservative[Read More…]
Editorial 101: The process behind an editorial
Every Friday, the Tribune’s editorial board meets to plan our editorial for the coming issue. We start with a range of ideas, and ultimately focus on the one that seems to us to be the most relevant, controversial, and interesting. We then discuss, each member bringing forward individual perspectives, but[Read More…]
Categorization and a new face of racism
Following the Civil Rights movements, a change began in the way people viewed one another. Specifically, American citizens were treated as equals—at least constitutionally—and there was a worldwide trend in the direction of equal opportunity, regardless of race. There was a general consensus that racism would no longer be tolerated.[Read More…]