Press "Enter" to skip to content

Posts published in “Opinion”

A Double-Edged Sword

Balancing the Benefits and Ethical Dilemmas of AI

By Kent Yang | Observer Contributor

Artificial Intelligence and applications of AI, such as Machine Learning, have ushered in a new era of technological advancement, transforming industries and enhancing our daily lives. However, this enhancement also comes with an ethical double-edged sword. While AI offers tremendous benefits, it also raises ethical concerns that demand thoughtful consideration.

AI technologies offer the potential to revolutionize the workplace by automating tasks, thereby enhancing efficiency, productivity, and reducing on-the-job injuries. However, this advancement also brings forth concerns related to job displacement. According to a report from the World Economic Forum, by the year 2025, AI may lead to the displacement of approximately 85 million jobs. But it’s also expected to create 97 million new roles as well, which perfectly illustrates the double-edged nature of AI’s impact on employment. read more

A Reflection on Transgender Day of Visibility

Fighting Erasure in a Social Climate Determined to Say “You Don’t Exist”

By Elysian Alder | Assistant Editor

I am none of these things: a monster, a predator, a plague, a groomer, a pedophile, a villain, a snowflake, an attention-seeker, a liar, a danger to children, an eyesore. I am none of the other dehumanizing and stigmatizing labels that staunch conservatives are insistent on placing on me and my community. I am a lot of other things, though: a writer, a Pisces, a friend, a sibling, a nature-lover, a QA specialist, a student— and, according to TikTok, a “geriatric Gen-Zer.” This year, it’s difficult to reflect on all of the other things that I am because one part of my identity has been on trial since the beginning of 2023. I am queer, I am transgender, and I am spending this Transgender Day of Visibility with mixed emotions about everything that my community has had to endure just to be able to exist. read more

I Am One in Four

Student Shares Personal Journey to Remind Others “You Are Not Alone”

By Annabelle Kennedy | Observer Contributor

One in four American women will have an abortion by the time they are 45 years old, and I am one of those women.

 I had an abortion when I was 28 years old. I feared having a child. I was not in a place where I was mentally or emotionally ready to be responsible for another life. I was living in a small apartment in Allston at the time, had two roommates and a job as a waitress, and I felt incredibly alone and ashamed.

The baby’s father and I hadn’t been dating for long, and he wasn’t ready to have a child either. I decided that I could live with the decision of not having a child and regret it, more than I could live with the idea of having the child and not providing a loving, stable home for them.  read more

A Ripple Effect: The Skip From Abortion to Marriage

An Opinion on Why the Overturn of Roe v. Wade Could Impact More Than Women’s Rights

By Nikki Ramos | Observer Contributor

Forty-nine years after the milestone decision, the U.S Supreme Court made the controversial choice to overturn Roe v. Wade. In his concurring opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Justice Clarence Thomas asserted, “Substantiative due process…has harmed our country in many ways and accordingly, we should eliminate it from our jurisprudence at the earliest opportunity.” This bold statement implies that all other cases supported by the substantiative due process clause should be re-examined by the Supreme Court. read more

Op-ed: A Mount Wachusett Experience

A Long Look Back by the Editor-in-Chief

By Daniel Dow | Editor-in-Chief

My journey started at Mount Wachusett at the height of the pandemic after leaving a 10-year career, with a GPA of 1.8, and on academic probation. I will transfer in the fall to the University of Wisconsin-Superior as I start my own business as a copywriter and editor, a GPA over 3.0, and as a member of the TRIO program. My return in 2021 could not have been a more different experience, and as I leave the Mount to attend my transfer school, I know I will miss the community I found. read more

Christianity and Satan in Politics

An Opinion on the Separation of Church and State

By Andi Cunningham | Observer Contributor

Religion in the United States is a hot-button issue. Christianity has 230-250 million members or 65%-75% of the US population. Often, other religions are looked down upon by the Conservative right. Say the word Satanist or Islam within this circile, and all hell breaks loose. 

With that said, The United States of America is a pluralistic nation in its forming. Originally founded for its religious freedom, it has been confused that the United States is a Christian nation, founded on Christian principles. read more

Follow In The Footsteps Of Fossil Fuel Giants

Recent Events in Russia Causing Re-Evaluation in Fossil Fuel Dependence

By Daniel Dow | Editor in Chief

With the recent outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine, the stability of the global market has come under question, and no commodity has been affected more than the price and supply of natural gas and oil. With the price of oil currently at a record high, and demand growing for countries to separate themselves from Russia’s fossil fuels, now seems the opportune moment to shift from fossil fuels and to reinvest in renewable energy.

The hostility of Russia has rallied nations to end their dependence on imports of the country’s oil and natural gas. The United States has immediately cut its imports, and Britain and Poland have announced a plan to cut Russian natural gas imports by the end of 2022. read more

Opioid Crisis Calls for Community Action

Student discusses possible solutions to the Massachusetts opioid crisis 

By Dylan Quigley
Observer Contributor 

Image from pixabay

The Massachusetts opioid crisis has been getting increasingly worse throughout the past ten years. According to Mass.gov, in 2010 there were 547 deaths from opioid overdoses, and in 2019 there were 2,023 deaths confirmed with more cases that still aren’t finalized. Since 2016, the death toll has flatlined at about 2,000 deaths from opioids annually.

 Is there a way we citizens can start to decrease the death toll? As individuals, I think we are almost powerless, but a whole community movement to fight addiction might help things get moving. read more

Are You Satisfied With High School?

Barr foundation strives to reform high school experience 

By Magdalen Bresee and Dylan Hatch
Observer Contributors 

Image from barrfoundation.org

Are you satisfied with your high school experience? According to a 2015 Gallup Student Poll, only 35% of high schoolers believe they possess adequate problem-solving skills, and only 33% of students feel they have a mentor who encourages their development. These alarming responses reflect the inadequacy of modern secondary education and prompt many to examine the specific elements that are failing students. 

The Barr Foundation, in association with its 22 partnering communities throughout New England, including four school districts and MWCC in North Central Massachusetts, is leading the effort to renovate high school by learning from the thoughts and experiences of local students with the Portrait of a Graduate Grant. read more

Coping with Rising Technology Costs

Pricey software and lack of access could leave students underwater

By Samantha Sykes
Observer Contributor

Photo by Betsy Torres
One of the Graphic & Interactive Design computer labs at MWCC, stocked with the Adobe Creative Suite of programs

Between the prices of programs, project materials, computer accessories, books, and the sheer time and effort that Graphic Design classes demand of students, it’s no wonder that students can become stressed with college.

Finding less expensive alternatives to the programs and even program related books, which can easily climb over $100, can lessen the stress a student must face.

The GID (Graphics Interactive Design) program at the Mount takes the lack of varied software programs into consideration for students and has a computer lab available for student use. The lab has all of the required programs already downloaded onto the computers, so all a student has to do is plug in a flash drive, and get to work. read more