Mark Strong

May 30, 2013

Politically Incorrect: Time for a Change

By Mark Strong

You’re going to die. I know that’s not the most chipper salutation. It’s not exactly a “Good morning!” or a “Happy Thursday!”, but as the school year (and this column) winds down to a close, I’ve been con...

May 23, 2013

When Becoming the Issue Becomes the Issue

By Mark Strong

I was digging into a new novel on the patio outside Nicoletti’s a few weeks back when a single word in a nearby conversation caught my attention: divestment. The pair — a guy and girl, both college-aged and bespectac...

May 9, 2013

Eternal Optimism and Pessimism, Both Impediments to Human Progress?

By Mark Strong

There is a world in which the Newtown massacre, the Boston Marathon bombing and the collapse of the Bangladesh garment factory last month never happened. This is a world without war, famine or genocide, without car accid...

May 2, 2013

Shoot the Messenger (But Not Literally!): The Media’s Incendiary Tug-of-War

By Mark Strong

I’m not your typical angry guy. I’m not the guy prone to cut and flip you off on the freeway. I’m not the guy you see hurling curses at CALPIRG recruiters or turning into a human steam engine the second Starbucks m...

April 25, 2013

So Wrong, It’s Right

By Mark Strong

    What is “politically incorrect”? That’s a question I’ve been asking myself for a while. With 18 articles claiming the title, you’d think I’d have figured it out by now. But the question is actua...

April 18, 2013

Terrorism, Undefined: a new scapegoat for acts of violence

By Mark Strong

For all their backtracking, mumbling, slip-ups and ambiguity, our political leaders have made one thing exceptionally clear: The United States does not negotiate with terrorists. The bombing of the Boston Marathon Monday...

April 11, 2013

Fringe Folly: How Behavioral Extremes Perpetuate Stereotypes

By Mark Strong

To those who believe that all Muslims are terrorists, all blacks are criminals and gay people don’t belong in civilized society, I’ve got one thing to say to you: I get it. You’re a bunch of selfish, narrow-minded,...

April 4, 2013

Forums, Chat Rooms and Renegade Comments Sections: The ‘Wild Wild West’ of the Digital Age

By Mark Strong

Faggot isn’t what your mother might call a “dinner table word.” For most social purposes, it’s been restricted to the metaphorical basement. You wouldn’t, for instance, use it to address a professor or TA, to g...

April 4, 2013

Forums, Chat Rooms and Renegade Comments Sections: The ‘Wild Wild West’ of the Digital Age

By Mark Strong

Faggot isn’t what your mother might call a “dinner table word.” For most social purposes, it’s been restricted to the metaphorical basement. You wouldn’t, for instance, use it to address a professor or TA, to g...

March 8, 2013

Nexus To Update Website, Change Distribution Model

By Patrick Kulp, Mark Strong

With the quarter quickly drawing to a close, today’s issue constitutes the last print edition of the quarter as the Nexus enters its usual Dead Week and finals week hiatus. When we return in three weeks, there will be ...

March 7, 2013

Identity Crisis Much? Obama’s Dubious Doppelgänger

By Mark Strong

Remember that radical socialist you always hear conservatives complaining about in the news? That tyrannical despot hell-bent on political reform and the redistribution of wealth amongst the masses? He died on Tuesday in...

February 28, 2013

Pope’s Resignation Crowns Modern Day Heart of Darkness

By Mark Strong

A version of this article appeared on page 12 of the February 28, 2013 print edition of the Daily Nexus.

February 21, 2013

At Last, Common Ground to Unite Us All: Misery

By Mark Strong

A single day can change your life. Or even a single word. Yesterday may not have been a life-changing day for me, but it definitely struck a chord. I was reclining on the sofa and settling into an old rerun of South Park...

February 7, 2013

The First Amendment, Amended: We Hold These Truths to be Self-Evident, That All Opinions Are Not Created Equal

By Mark Strong

After years of denial, it’s time we faced the facts: 9/11 was a conspiracy orchestrated by the United States government. For 11 long years, the public has ignored the truth. The fall of the Twin Towers in New York City...

January 31, 2013

Moving Forward Is Hard When You’re Always Looking Left or Right

By Mark Strong

Two years ago, I traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in a youth leadership conference. Over the course of a week, I had the privilege of exploring our nation’s capitol along with a group of like-minded and incr...

January 24, 2013

Call it Agnosticism, If You Like — All I Know Is That It’s Wonderful

By Mark Strong

Disclaimer: I think it’s important to note that I use the proper noun “God” in reference to the preexisting, visualized God of various world religions, and the improper noun “god” in reference to the conceptual...