Author / Elena Murray
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The Inevitable Disappointment of Politics
When Benjamin Franklin wrote that “nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes,” he not only touched on the inevitability of these concepts but also addressed the universal fear and loathing directed toward them. And while nothing may be done about inescapable death, people have tried to avoid and modify taxes since…
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WashU Could Make Missouri a Swing State Again
Believe it or not, Missouri used to be a swing state. It’s hard to imagine given its clear current lean toward the Republican party, but for presidential elections between 1904 and 2004, Missouri went for the winning candidate in all elections but one, regardless of whether they were a Democrat of Republican, a conservative or…
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Boomers’ Biggest Fear on Climate: Our Sincerity
In a coming-together of the world’s political and business leaders, the most recent World Economic Forum focused on climate change and sustainability, topics which not all attendees considered worthwhile to discuss. Although 17-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg called for adherence to commitments made under the Paris Agreement, condemned the elites’ pattern of empty promises to…
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What Magenta Tells Us About Political Interpretation
What is a color? If answering pragmatically, one might claim that a color is the wavelength it occupies on the visible spectrum of light. But while this interpretation easily accommodates colors like red and violet, which are perceived respectively at about 700 and 400 nanometers, other colors simply do not appear on the visible light…
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The Risk of Morality and Movement Politics
What do Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have in common? At the surface, both are white males from the northeast. Both have been mocked for their hair, though for its color and unruliness, respectively. Obviously, both are consequential figures in the United States’ current political climate. But perhaps most significantly, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders…
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Stressful News: Keeping Mental Space for Headlines
In an era involving impeachment proceedings, Brexit, war in the Middle East, presidential campaigns and debates, a supposedly impending financial crisis, pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, and countless other headline stories, it can be incredibly difficult to stay updated with every new development. As recently as a few months ago, the major stories of the…
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Ashes Unify: The Aftermath of Notre Dame
On the evening of April 15th, horrified onlookers huddled at the banks of the River Seine while one of Paris’s most iconic monuments was engulfed in flames. The Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, more than 850 years old, has long stood in Gothic glory as a symbol of the French nation. Having both endured desecration during…
