War or Peace?

St. Louis Rams Players’ Silent Protest

You would be hard pressed to find someone in the United States that hasn’t heard about the situation in Ferguson, Missouri. In response to the controversial decision early last week regarding the indictment of the officer involved, violence shook the town. Innocent shop owners had their buildings raided, and burned, their livelihoods taken away. Then, on national television, five St. Louis Rams players sent a message to the country about their stance on the issue. Would the great activist, Dr. King agree with these actions? Read on to find out.

Mill and an Application

You always hear people praising individualism, but are there times when conformity is actually more beneficial?

Ross School of Business

As many high school seniors complete their college applications and many Michigan freshmen about to start applying to Ross, it seems a good time as ever to analyze the benefits of individualism and conforming respectfully. There are obvious advantages to being unique on your application, mainly being that you stand out to some degree, but there is a point where unique may do more harm than good. Read on to learn about the delicate balance of individualism and conformity that applications present.

An Interstellar Journey of Deception

(Contains Spoilers)

It can be described as captivating, intense, and mind-blowing. It was one of the most anticipated films of the year. Interstellar’s basic plot is a civilization fighting for its survival, but it’s about so much more than just that. It’s a story of our connections with those we love and what we sacrifice for them. It’s a story of distrust and deception. Read on only if you have already seen the movie or don’t care to have a lot of it spoiled (crazy people). If you do read on, you’ll read about an interesting paradox that is created by the deterioration of our world.

The Navy Seals and Hobbes

You often hear about their incredible strength, skill, and valor. You are told that they are the best of the best. You are told that they protect this great nation, but you are never told what exactly they do. The Navy Seals are one of the most famous, yet secretive military groups in the entire world. As citizens, we accept their protection on the basis that we may never know what they are actually doing to ensure that we are protected. That is, until recently when members of Seal Team Six were, surprisingly, publicly credited with the successful killing of Osama Bin Laden.

Government officials watch the Osama Bin Laden raid unfold.

Then the man who actually pulled the trigger broke the Seal’s rule of secrecy by publicly taking credit for the kill. How do elite service members relate to the theories of Thomas Hobbes? Continue reading to see how our fear allows such an incredible force to act in virtually absolute secrecy.

When Sport Becomes Too Dangerous

International competition has the unique ability to unite the world, often even in times of unrest. For some reason, sport is one of the few facets that allows entire nations to forget all of their wars and hardships, even if it’s only for ninety minutes.

A Serbian Player Pulls Down the Albanian Flag

Often this is the case but there are certain circumstances where tensions are too high for even sport to make a difference. Tuesday’s Serbia vs. Albania Euro 2016 qualifying fixture was going relatively well, considering it was Albania’s first visit to Belgrade since 1967, until just before halftime tensions boiled over.

Why Do You Play The Game?

University of Texas Football Team

Coming off a disappointing defeat at the hands of UCLA, Charlie Strong, head coach of the University of Texas football team, brought in a special guest speaker to practice. That speaker was none other than the charismatic Matthew McConaughey. McConaughey asks the players “why they play the game,” a question that goes far beyond the game of football. Everyone has a unique reason for why they play the game, why they build the house, or why they study a subject; each reason makes the activity into either a game or a job. How can one activity be seen as play for one person but work for another, you may ask? The answer lies in our motivations.