What do you think when you hear the word “Mallincrockt”? To the averageWashU student, it means Subway sandwiches, bookstore textbooks, and a convenientstop for the campus shuttle. But for many across the nation, particularly residents of St.Louis, Mallinckrodt PLC has a complicated legacy. From radioactive bombs to nuclearwaste, from overpriced medication to the national opioid […]
Whose Streets? Ours or Theirs?
Amidst a global reckoning around police-community relations, one thing is becoming clear: we can’t excuse white supremacy as a thing of the past or an inevitable part of our present any longer. The roots of tension in police-community relations are self-reinforcing. Police forces are failing to understand our racial history and current racial environment, while […]
Why the West is Unprepared for WW3
Recent years have been packed with news about America’s enemies growing more aggressive. Russia invaded Ukraine. China dialed up tensions with Taiwan. Iran pushed several of its proxies to escalate attacks against Israel. Venezuela declared ownership of territory in Guyana. Serbia clashed with forces in Kosovo. North Korea fired hundreds of shells to intimidate South […]
Ethical Imperatives: Why Diverting Asylum Seekers Jeopardizes Human Rights
In an era marked by unprecedented and growing global migration, providing refuge to asylum seekers has become a complex and contentious challenge. As nations grapple with economic, spatial, and political barriers to accommodating and integrating migrants, it is imperative to prioritize ethical considerations when evaluating prevailing policies. The evolving policy of diverting migrants, specifically asylum […]
The Era of Antics: Political Theatrics
In the ever-changing political landscape, it seems something new has emerged: the Era of Antics. There was a time in American history when our representatives were meant to be the best of us. Founding Father James Madison expressed his belief in Federalist No. 10 that U.S. representatives’ “wisdom may best discern the true interest of […]
Burning Through Time: A Historical Exploration of Self-Immolation
What were you taught from a young age to do when you are on fire? Stop, drop, and roll. That is because fire is the most painful and damaging experience to the human body. Mere seconds of exposure to flames can fry off nerve endings, melt tissue, char bone, and cause irreparable destruction. So why […]
Is Age Just A Number For Minority Youth?
Citizen. Immigrant. Rich. Poor. Veteran. Able-bodied. Democrat. Republican. Our rights, privileges, and immunities are continuously determined by the different labels we’re granted by the institutions that govern us. Labels are guarded by black and white lines, with many set indicators placing each of us in these rigid categories. In our legal system, many of our […]
Why I Was Wrong About Trump
Last April, I wrote an article titled “It’s Time to Accept That Trump is Irrelevant.” Given the current state of the primaries, it speaks for itself why that spectacularly wrong prediction is so laughable in highsight (for those who disagreed with me all along, this is your time to be smug). While I was clearly […]
The Era of Debtors’ Prisons
Red and blue lights flash in the rearview mirror as you’re driving in St. Louis. Annoying, but not the end of the world, you think as you pull the car to the curb. Maybe you’re over the speed limit, or your expiration sticker expired, or you have an outstanding arrest warrant from a failure to […]
At the Bargaining Table with Dark Brandon
Frustrated exhaustion is an unfortunate mental state to be in while trying to make decisions as a voter. One candidate has promised to “improve” upon his previous four-year disaster by becoming a dictator, so it seems like this November will be yet another exercise in harm prevention that feels antithetical to what meaningful political involvement […]