Jamil Ragland

The Order of Things

There’s a great scene in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine where our heroes (Captain Sisko and his officers) are battling the villains (the Jem’Hadar), and offer them the chance to surrender: That phrase, “The order of things,” has stuck with me since I first watched this episode all the way back in 1997. For the Jem’Hadar,…

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I Didn’t Vote for Trump, but I’m a Trump voter.

It’s so easy to denounce Trump supporters as rabid racists and misogynists. Yet more Hispanic voters cast ballots for Donald Trump than Mitt Romney, despite his anti-Mexican rhetoric. More white women voted for Trump than Hillary Clinton, despite his “Grab them by the pussy” comment. On the left, we continue to ask why. Why are these…

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Use the Electoral College to Stop Donald Trump

Donald Trump was elected as the next president of the United States three days ago. In the days since, we’ve heard the call from political leaders of all stripes to respect our country’s traditions, especially the peaceful transfer of political power. In her remarkable concession speech, Hillary Clinton said, “Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful…

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Parents Just Don’t Understand: Thoughts on Adventure Time’s “Evergreen”

I’d been patiently waiting for new episodes of Adventure Time on Hulu for months. My brother told me that season 6 ended on a fascinating note, and I couldn’t wait until I got to see where Finn and Jake’s adventures would take them. I was stopped in my tracks by the episode “Evergreen,” which is…

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The Children in the Folders

The most important moment of Dr. Robert Putnam’s presentation “Closing the Opportunity Gap” on July 21st at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts came after he’d already offered his conclusion. During the question and answer session, an audience member asked Dr. Putnam about former presidential candidate Bernie Sander’s plan to make college free. The…

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