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Monday, March 30, 2026
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The Observer

Free speech is idealisitic

Thursday, March 31, 2016

I view the concept of free speech as idealistic not only because of the hypocrisy behind its most common supporters, but because it is based on the idea that all forms of speech are inherent to the human condition, and should therefore be defended. This would imply that one’s thoughts and opinions are not the result of any material reality, but simply an abstract process based on the individual's free will. Mental culture is just as much a result of a society's productive process than anything. If we live in a society where racist and sexist thoughts are expressed at all, it is not because those individuals have decided through their own free will to have those prejudices, but because of their place in the greater whole of our stratified society. Society is a self-developing organism; the attitudes and beliefs of its members are not the result of any external inspiration, but a reflection of their material realities.

The Observer

Candidates disagree about income inequality

By Austin Taliaferro · Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Over the past few weeks, BridgeND has had a running column about income inequality. As we move into the final stages of the primaries, it is the perfect time to see just how realistic the candidates’ views on income inequality — and how to fix it — are.

The Observer

Moments we miss

By Victoria Llorens · Monday, March 21, 2016

Have you ever tried going without your phone for a day or two? It’s actually rather freeing. Everyday the urge to check for notifications buzzes at the back of our minds until we finally give in. We take our phones everywhere and check them constantly to the point where we forget that we are surrounded by other people we can actually open our mouth and talk to. Look up people. My parents have all these stories about random people they met while in a grocery store line, sitting in the doctor’s office or even standing in line at Disneyland, people that they have learned great lessons from and remember all these years later. If we always have our noses in our phones whenever we are in an awkward place, we miss out on the stories we might happen upon from those around us.

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