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College Republicans’ response to the College Democrats’ Letter to the Editor

By lettertotheeditor · Friday, Nov. 18, 2022

This week, the College Democrats published a Letter to the Editor accusing our club of promoting “racist, transphobic, and antisemitic rhetoric” in the 2022 midterm debate that took place on Wednesday, Nov. 2. They call for our debater’s remarks to be formally condemned by the University administration and to require our officer corps to face “comprehensive anti-bias training.” The allegations made by the authors of the letter are categorically false and defamatory. We call on the College Democrats to retract them and issue a formal apology immediately.

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In response to “The Devil in Nerd’s Clothes”

By Stephen Viz · Friday, Nov. 18, 2022

Forbes magazine technology writer David Jeans released a piece last weekend titled “The Devil in Nerd’s Clothes”. The article depicts the rise and fall of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, an abbreviation of “Futures Exchange.” More importantly, the article explains the personality and destructive decisions taken by FTX founder Sam Bankman–Fried. The nerd in this situation is Bankman-Fried and the devil stands to be his destructive decisions that have led FTX to bankruptcy. Jeans’ piece is an excellent read, and I highly encourage checking it out. But for now, hear me out, because I have some thoughts on the matter.

The Observer

On snow and purpose

By Reyna Lim · Friday, Nov. 18, 2022

I have very little idea of what purpose means, but today I’m writing about it anyway. This is how I make sense of things. I’ve addressed it in this column before: purpose, meaning, being 21 and utterly confused. My dedication to seeming continually lost is less of an artistic choice, and more of a direct representation of what takes up the majority of my brainspace lately. Most weeks, when I see my editor’s deadline approaching on my planner, I crack open my journal and scan through my most recent scribbles and streams of consciousness until I find something that might be just substantial enough to lengthen into a readable column. But the whole precedent of my writing, in my head at least, is that it will never be read or given hardly any weight. Yet as these things go, from time to time, an odd column of mine will be discovered by a family member and sent to an aunt in New York, a cousin in Seoul. On a recent phone call with one such family member, I was offered the heartening redundancy of well-meaning assurance: You’re meant to be figuring things out right now. Then, the question: So what do you want to do? 

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Hate has no place here

By lettertotheeditor · Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022

Last Wednesday, BridgeND hosted a debate between the College Democrats and College Republicans. What was intended to be an educational conversation and a model for civil discourse instead spiraled into a display of racist, transphobic and antisemitic rhetoric from the College Republicans’ representative. We believe that the College Republicans must be held accountable for their hateful words, if not by our University’s administration then by concerned students like us. This letter is not about liberals being unable to listen to opposing opinions or being intolerant of different viewpoints. It is about taking a stand against the growth of hateful sentiment on Notre Dame’s campus and holding those who perpetrate it accountable. 

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Spes Unica: A reflection on leading a retreat and a call to others

By Gabriel Ibarra · Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022

I’ve been missing from the pages of The Observer for a while, but I am back and refreshed after a great weekend Spes Unica retreat. As the 50th retreat in this biannual series, Spes Unica retreats are a hidden gem among the many retreats that happen around the tri-campus community. Though I was a leader this time around, this retreat was still one I actively participated in as if I was living it out. For context, this was my first official Spes Unica retreat, but my third spiritual retreat at Holy Cross. The first was at Sophomore Anchor Day, an overnight retreat that served as a spiritual check-in for those in their second year of Holy Cross. After this, I did not go on any Spes Unica retreats, but I did attend our Marian Pilgrimage. During this pilgrimage, we traveled around from Indiana to travel to Illinois and Wisconsin, visiting holy sites centered around Mary. Highlights include going to Marytown in Libertyville, the University of Saint Mary of the Lake in Mundelein and the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion. This was a multiple-day trip that introduced Mary to several students in new and exciting ways. But, these were not Spes Unica retreats, also known as SPES. 

The Observer

How misinformation/ disinformation on social media is destroying our democracy 

By BridgeND · Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022

Social media has given a platform for individuals to share their voices faster and to a broader audience than ever before. At our nation’s founding, it would have been unimaginable to predict that anyone would be able to speak at any time from anywhere. This phenomenon has lent itself to the creation of a new type of speaker, a bolder ego unafraid of sharing what is on their mind. In reaction, our government is stuck with a thought-provoking dilemma of what “free speech” truly entails in this day and age. The oratory vehicle that social media has become provides several cultural stresses on the democratic structure, such as an overload of information, the creation of a hive mind and radicalization. Perhaps the greatest threat to democracy, which works in tandem with the aforementioned, is the growing misinformation and disinformation online.

The Observer

Christmas starts now

By Caitlin Brannigan · Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022

I love looking out my window and being greeted by a winter wonderland. I love curling up in my bed with a book and a cup of hot chocolate. I love making snow angels and flailing around on the quad, hurling snowballs at my friends until our fingers are numb. 

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Kill your darlings: Notes on letting go

By Kate Casper · Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022

Letting go has never been easy for me. In fact, it’s one of my least favorite things to do — because, often, letting go feels like losing. Whether it’s letting go of a person or a feeling, a place or a sense of normalcy, things will change, and change can be dreadful.

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Sibling rivalry

By Isabelle Kause · Monday, Nov. 14, 2022

As twins, my brother and I have spent most of our lives together. We attended the same grade school and high school and could very easily relate to one another when it came to the joys and stresses of everyday life. People have occasionally asked us if we have “twin telepathy, ” and while our answer is always no, we do share a close bond with occasional moments of competitiveness. 

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Rain on the just and unjust

By Andrew Sveda · Monday, Nov. 14, 2022

The Sermon on the Mount is full of startling claims, many of which, for various reasons, we fail to appreciate.  One such statement is this: God “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45 ESV). Jesus uses these words to show how much God loves His enemies, and it serves as a glorious example that Christians are called to emulate.

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Observer Editorial: Now what? Activities for post-football season

By The Observer Editorial Board · Friday, Nov. 11, 2022

Fall can be quite an overwhelming season in college. School, club activities, job applications and social events make a week fly by. Football season makes the weekend almost as tiring as the week, leaving you with even less free time to diversify your schedule. With just one home football game left, you might be wondering: What is there to do when Notre Dame’s most famous sports season is over? Well, look no further because here’s a guide to all the happenings around the tri-campus — from sports to art to music and everything in between — so you can really explore everything this community has to offer. 

The Observer

The words unspoken

By Makayla Hernandez · Friday, Nov. 11, 2022

Sometimes, I wish I could fly. Because to fly would mean to be free, and that is something my body desperately yearns for. I often dream about what freedom would taste like. Would it be a sweet nectar, smooth against my cheek? Or would it be bitter, dark and earthy — something that gets stuck in between your teeth? I want to fly. To fly away from the sorrows of today and to soar past the clouds and grasses in which I pray. I want to swoop along riverbanks and dangle my feet against the roaring currents. But I ... I cannot fly. I can barely even find it in me to pray at times. I walk along the shores of life and ponder about my purpose, and even then do I wish I could just escape. From school, from life, from family … from me. 

The Observer

Political polarization, identity politics and social media

By Grace Sullivan · Friday, Nov. 11, 2022

In modern-day politics, political parties are more polarized than ever. This division between Democrats and Republicans has prevented bipartisan legislation from being implemented to address critical issues in the United States. However, American politics were not always so divided. This begs the question, what caused political polarization in our democracy? The answer is simple: identity politics and social media. 

The Observer

Racial experiences of neurodivergence: An introduction

By Jack Griffiths · Friday, Nov. 11, 2022

Being a white man, I fit within the general population’s preconceived idea of what an autistic person looks like. When asked to picture an autistic person, many people will automatically conjure images of young white boys playing with trains. This conception overshadows the perspectives of those who do not fit this expected mold; in an earlier column, I focused on women as people who are negatively impacted by this trope-reliant view of neurodivergence. This week, I’d like to observe how neurodivergent people of color also face unique challenges, as they must overcome grisly intersections between racial stereotypes and stereotypes of the neurodivergent. 

The Observer

An appeal to reason and civil discourse in the wake of our election

By lettertotheeditor · Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022

The Washington Post famously advertises the phrase, “democracy dies in darkness.” Undoubtedly this is a commentary on our unique ability in America to say what we wish, and believe it has meaning. And so today, in the face of a changing federal landscape, I see an opportunity for all of us on this campus to come together to say what we wish, and say it civilly. 

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