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Redpilling Normies: An Ethnography of Alt-Right 4chan Discourse
Get PDFThe alt-right is an ever-growing presence in American society yet little is known about their strategies for political organizing and engaging and growing their following. Through the popularization of the internet, individuals\u27 ability to access far-right ideology and form communities around it has become increasingly easy. While there have been many attempts to limit alt-right rhetoric online, no such attempts have been made on 4chan.org. That paired with the level of anonymity present on the platform has allowed alt-right rhetoric to flourish with no repercussions. This project takes an ethnographic approach to examine redpill discourse on 4chan’s /pol/ board to better understand group behavior in alt-right digital spaces. Analyzing redpill discourse provides a unique perspective as the term redpill both serves as a verb to describe the recruitment process and as a noun to describe a piece of alt-right ideology. This analysis of redpill discourse provides key insights into community building, ideology construction, and recruitment strategies of the alt-right on 4chan. Better understanding the behavior and beliefs of the alt-right is a critical step to effectively counteract the movement and the hate they propagate
Religious and Cultural Considerations in Nigeria regarding the low vaccination rates for the Oral Polio Vaccine
Get PDFWhen the polio vaccine was developed in the 1950s, the healthcare field saw the eradication of polio happening by the turn of the 21st century. However, in 2022 there are still countries with endemic strains of polio, with Nigeria only recently being taken off of this list in 2020. This paper focuses on synthesizing research about the initial oral polio vaccine (OPV) efforts in 2002 Nigeria to improved efforts in the 2010s. Nigeria is widely known for boycotting the vaccine and implementing extensive educational programming attempts to remedy the situation. By looking at various cultural and religious factors that caused low OPV vaccination rates, we can examine aspects that must be considered when creating health care educational programs in communities that are hesitant or resistant to vaccines, like the northern states of Nigeria. This argument is explored through three distinct factors: the political-religious, religious-educational, and educational efforts in response to low vaccination rates
The Racial Disparities in the Foster Care System as Explained by Professionals Working Within the System
Get PDFSystemic racism leads to Black people being overrepresented in sectors of life such as poverty, homelessness, and incarceration. However, because of this same systemic racism, Black children in the United States are subjected to disadvantages in many aspects of life— one of which is foster care. Children raced as Black are two and a half times more likely than white children to be reported to Child Protective Services resulting in them entering the foster care system twice as often as white children (Miller, Cahn, and Orellana 2012). While past studies have examined the number of children in foster care that belong to each racial group and found that there are disparities, few studies have examined what leads to the disparities. The purpose of the current study was to explore the understanding of these disparities and the potential factors producing them through the eyes of those making foster care placement decisions. Seven in-depth interviews were conducted with professionals that have or are currently working within the foster care system of Indiana. Each interview explored the participant’s role within the foster care system, their perception of race relations within their current (and/or former) agencies, and explored their understanding of existing racial disparities within the foster care system. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed for common themes amongst the various professionals as to what— according to their own experiences— contributes to the racial disparities Black children experience within the foster care system. What was found was that professionals feel privilege, education, systemic issues, lack of time or resources, and bad apples contribute to the racial disparities within the system
Functional Movement Screen and its Link to Sports Injury in Butler University Division I Student Athletes
Get PDFThe Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a physical assessment made up of seven fundamental movements which are designed to evaluate an individual’s functional movement patterns. The seven subtests target mobility and stability to identify limitations or asymmetries in normal movement (O’Conner et al., 2011). It is suspected that individuals who continue to use substandard movements during training are more susceptible to musculoskeletal injury (Chorba et al., 2010). In this study, FMS data from Butler University’s Division I men’s and women’s basketball, soccer, and cross-country teams were analyzed to investigate potential correlation with injury prevalence, sports team, and gender. Research from the past 15 years has assessed the use of FMS data as a tool to predict sports related injury along with other variables. Since injury can be both physically and mentally detrimental for student athletes, it would be ideal to avoid it. This would allow athletic trainers to target areas of weakness specific to each sport and incorporate corrective movements into strength training to improve mobility and stability. This study includes secondary data analysis from Butler University’s athletic department. Butler University’s athletic department and the Institutional Review Board approved the release of de-identified data for 122 student athlete participants including their FMS score, injury prior to FMS testing, injury following FMS testing, sports team, and gender. The data from 65 males and 57 females was then compiled and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics Software. In summary, this study found a positive small correlation between Total FMS Scores for Butler University Division I student athletes (men’s and women’s basketball, soccer, and cross-country teams), and the number of musculoskeletal injuries reported from athletics. The study consisted of 65 male and 57 female student athletes, where on average male student athletes scored higher on FMS testing than female student athletes. Lastly, it was found that there was no difference between the average number of athletic related musculoskeletal injuries between the two genders
From Serbia to Xinjiang; A Comparative Analysis of Genocidal Regimes
Get PDFRather than seeking to give a causal explanation of genocide and ethnic cleansing, I ask the more pointed question “are there patterns present at the societal level that signal the potentiality of genocide in a given cultural context?” Through examination of two socially and temporally distinct instances of genocide, the Bosnian genocide and the Uyghur genocide, I argue that there exist certain patterns which precede historical instances of genocide and that these antecedent phenomena contribute to the potential for genocide in those societies. I identify three broad trends that contribute to the potential of genocide: the cultivation of ethnic nationalism among an ethnic majority with significant political power, the employment of mythologizing rhetoric by political elites in constructing relevant identities and using the cultural memory of past instances of extreme violence (real or manufactured) to substantiate the risk posed by a certain group to the whole
Proposing an Educational Framework for Healthcare Professionals on the Topic of Substandard or Falsified Medications and Illegal Online Pharmacies
Get PDFBackground: Substandard or falsified medication prevalence in countries like the United States is documented with much more consistency than developing nations. On the contrary, although online pharmacies have been around for several decades, there is very limited data published establishing the prevalence of online pharmacy use by the general population (Fitler). Currently, there is no standardized curriculum regarding substandard or falsified medications and illegal online pharmacies offered to healthcare providers to combat the problems raised by counterfeits. Therefore, it is necessary to assess institutions’ current stance on implementing concepts in the curriculum and to create an educational framework based on subjects deemed mandatory by those institutions and the researchers.
Objective: To (1) identify gaps and (2) assess various curricular elements best suited to educate healthcare professionals; particularly pharmacists, doctors, and nurses; on how to teach their patients about substandard or falsified medications and online pharmacies.
Methods: A mixed methods approach was used for this study. This included surveying colleges of pharmacy with quantitative techniques as well as utilizing a modified Delphi method to qualitatively evaluate experts’ opinion on inclusion of topics of substandard or falsified medications and illegal online pharmacies in healthcare curricula.
Results: The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) does not require pharmacy schools to include the topics of substandard or falsified medications and illegal online pharmacies in their curriculum. Out of the 13 schools that submitted complete responses, 30.8% do not require their students to learn about these topics. Based on expert opinion, the final proposed curriculum includes recommendations for topics that should be covered to give healthcare providers a deep understanding and appreciation of the topics’ importance within the scope of patient care.
Conclusion: Based on previous studies, there is a serious need to close the educational gap. This study served to develop a proposed curriculum that would serve as a complement to the previous work done by International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and the World Health Organization (WHO)
The influence of improv experience on uncertainty tolerance, social anxiety, and communication in adolescents on the autism spectrum
Get PDFThis study examined the influence of an improvisational theater experience on perceptions of social anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty (IU), and quality of communication life in autistic adolescents. Seven participants were recruited from Indiana University’s Camp Yes And, a virtual day camp specializing in teaching improv strategies to autistic adolescents. Participants completed three scales measuring social anxiety, IU, and quality of communication life via surveys sent prior to and after attending the camp. It was hypothesized that levels of social anxiety and IU would decrease while quality of communication life would increase. Results indicated that pre- and post-test survey responses showed a statistically significant difference only for the IU measure. Additionally, while not statistically significant, trends indicated a slight decrease in social anxiety, particularly in response to new social situations, and a slight increase in quality of communication life. Given the results of the study, it is suggested that improv is a potentially beneficial intervention for targeting IU in some autistic adolescents and a larger study is warranted
Analysis of Indianapolis waterways for evidence of eutrophication and contamination induced by urban pollution
Get PDFThe focus of my research will be largely focused on the water quality of the White River throughout Indianapolis. I will be testing water samples from five different points along the White River to analyze three of its contents, assessing the differing levels of pollution along different points progressing down the river and through the city. The locations I have chosen to test coincide with water gauge sites along the White River and are as follows: Logan Street in Noblesville, 82nd Street, Broad Ripple Dam, Michigan Road and Raymond Street. The surface water at these five locations will be tested every two weeks during the fall and winter to control for season change and analyze quality differences between seasons. Nitrogen and Phosphorus contents will be measured and compared to national quality standards for evidence of eutrophication induced by human disruption. Evidence of Escherichia coli through total and fecal coliform testing will also be measured and compared to national quality standards in determining the severity of sewage backup in the White River. Nitrogen and Orthophosphate concentrations did not vary significantly. Total and Fecal coliform concentrations were significantly higher at the Logan St location in Noblesville. This could be explained by the effects of agricultural runoff from nearby farms, larger amounts of CSO in this area or a combination of both
Art, Race, and the Carceral System: Perceptions of Criminality in Artful Expression
Get PDFPrior research suggests that rap music is viewed as more “criminal” than other musical genres. Furthermore, juries are likely to attribute criminal stereotypes to rappers, in part due to assumptions of guilt and innocence based on race (Smiley, 2017; Smiley & Fakunle, 2016). Recently courts have used rap lyrics as a form of confessionary evidence against rappers in the courtroom (e.g., McKinley Phipps v. Tim Wilkinson, 2001), but this practice does not extend to other art forms, such as stand-up comedy. This interdisciplinary paper utilizes a mixed-methods approach to research, using both content analysis and experimental methods to develop an understanding of themes presented within creative endeavors such as music and comedy and assess how an audience interprets those themes. Using content analysis, Study 1 analyzed themes of criminality and deviance presented in rap and rock lyrics in the years with the highest and lowest crime rates. Results for Study 1 showed that the themes of “emotional vulnerability” and “emotional invincibility” offer some insight into opposing perceptions of rap and rock. Study 2 explored differences in the public’s perceptions of criminality in rap and compared it to perceptions of another creative endeavor, comedy. This experiment also examined the effects of performer race, art form, and crime stereotypicality on attributions and perceptions of guilt and innocence. Results showed that when compared to comedy, rap is viewed more negatively. The results of this study will be used to interrogate the rising trend in using rap lyrics as evidence of criminality and to question the relationship between this practice and First Amendment protections in the justice system
