Tag Archives: Opinion

Adolescence and the Agony of Decision Making

Psychologist Carl Pickhardt explains why it’s hard for teenagers to make decisions and offers some advice.

The hidden power of smiling

Your smile can predict how long you live. Would you believe it? Listen to one man give voice to his theory about smiling.

How Parents Influence Kids’ Gender Roles

How were you raised? Does it affect who you are now? Watch this short video to see how culture affects gender roles.

Teach Girls Bravery, Not Perfection

Rather than being taught to be brave risk-takers, Reshma Saujani argues girls are taught to avoid risk and failure. Do you agree with her claim?

Why celebrating Juneteenth is more important now than ever

Juneteenth celebrates when enslaved people in the deep Confederacy finally learned of their freedom years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Read the article to learn more about the holiday and America’s history of oppression.

Are We Living in the Gilded Age 2.0 ?

The Gilden Age, as its name suggests, was appealing on the surface, but many objectionable qualities laid below the exterior. Compare our current time period to the late 1800s.

Poll Shows Americans Shun Physical Robots But Welcome Smart Home Assistants

Why do Americans distrust robots? Do we have anything to fear? Read information from both sides of the debate.

Why figuring out what’s behind a big gender paradox won’t be easy

Science reporter Cathleen O’Grady explains the gender-equality paradox and and why drawing any conclusions from the research on it is tricky.

Is There Any Point to Protesting?

Weaving in examples throughout history, columnist Nathan Heller argues that even when marches and protests are ineffective, they are still important.

How to disagree productively and find common ground

Former world debate champion and business strategist Julia Dhar argues that debating ideas instead of identities is the key to productive conversations.

Is love losing its soul in the digital age?

Philosophy professor Firmin DeBrabander contemplates how couples display their relationships on social media.

Martin Luther King was no prophet of unity. He was a radical

This opinion piece points out that people tend to remember Martin Luther King Jr. fondly as a civil rights leader while overlooking the fact that his views and actions were radical.

Should America Take Down Monuments That Romanticize Conquistadors?

Statues of conquistadors are facing many of the same criticisms as Confederate statues. How should we treat these statues? Read the article for commentary on a complicated issue.

The real risks of artificial intelligence

Science jouranlist Bianca Nogrady argues that we shouldn’t worry about AI taking over, but about AI solving problems incorrectly.

Teens struggle to combat conformity

A middle-school student shares her thoughts about the challenges today’s teenagers face.

Stop making second American Civil War clickbait

Pundits from both political extremes sometimes bring up the idea of the United States having a new civil war. Here’s why that’s not going to happen.

The remarkable power of sport to bring about reconciliation

Journalist James Richradson argues that sports can break down barriers and bring people together.

The Words That Remade America

Garry Wills, journalist and historian, recounts the events surrounding the Gettysburg Address and argues that Lincoln’s words changed the way Americans viewed country’s founding documents.