Research Position Paper – anonymous

While Alzheimer’s disease or AD has no cure therefore its progression is inevitable, too many of our elders suffering from this debilitating disease do not receive the treatment they need. Many with Alzheimer’s disease are treated like second class citizens and as a society it is our ethical responsibility to take care of them to the best of our ability. It is a common misconception that anyone with Alzheimer’s cannot function, this is simply not true. Getting those who are still in the infancy stages of the disease involved in stimulating activity is shown to be one of the best ways to halt its progression, and under proper care they can still live a comfortable and productive life.

The single harshest fact to come to terms with for me while doing my research was just how many of our elders are treated poorly and to the extent it’s done. Although not throughly researched it is estimated in the year 2015 over 70,000 elderly parents were abandoned by their family members. This trend has even picked up its own name, “Granny Dumping”, and was unheard of until around 15 years ago.

Alzheimer’s or AD is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. While AD is now currently gaining more recognition in the medical field we often times we do not see underlying long-term effects AD has on families and society as a whole. By exposing these ugly truths we can gain some support from formerly unaware bystanders. It is not only the disease carrier who is affected by AD, it is the entire familie’s disease. More than 40% of family caregivers report that the emotional stress of their role is high or very high. Imagine the person who raised you from a baby, taught you everything you know, gave you more than anyone now unable to communicate or even feed themselves. That is the ugly truth that plagues more than 15 million Americans on a day to day basis. Alzheimers is a truly despicable disease that takes the very thing that makes us who we are and distorts it until theres nothing left, just a shell of who we once were.

This progressive and incurable disease, like most diseases, comes in varying stages ranging from one to seven in the medical world. During stage one, Alzheimer’s disease is not detectable and no memory problems or other symptoms of dementia are evident. Next comes stage two where the senior may notice minor memory problems or lose things around the house, although not to the point where the memory loss can easily be distinguished from normal age related memory loss. The person will still do well on memory tests and the disease is unlikely to be detected by physicians or loved ones. After that the friends and family members of the senior may begin to notice memory and cognitive problems. After further investigation and testing physicians will recognize a deficiency in memory skills and cognitive functions, and family members will be able to spot it right away. Some signs of this stage are delayed communications, having trouble remembering new acquaintances, and they may find it hard to plan/organize. Stage 4 is where the disease really begins to affect day to day tasks, things such as managing finances and keeping track of valuables become too difficult for them. In stage 5 they become significantly more dependent upon assistance from others, its at this stage that family members realize just how physically and emotionally draining the constant care is on everyone involved. The next two stages, stages 6 and 7, are the most debilitating of the seven stages where the victim basically becomes numb to the world unable to express the simplest emotion. Blank stares into nothing and not being able to control bowels are a few of the symptoms of the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease. At this point in the diseases progression the patient is nearing the end of their life, since the disease is terminal no one has ever survived the tenacity this disease possesses.

Since scientists and doctors have not found the exact cause of AD it is almost impossible to obtain a cure for it. Further research needs to be conducted to evaluate the cause, develop predictors to catch disease in its early stages, and find variables that may play an influential role in the pace the disease accelerates at. This is easier said than done the brain is the single most complicated organ in the human body, it controls everything from feeling the heat of a fire to storing memories from events that happened decades ago.The brain is the most complex organ in a vertebrate’s body. In a typical human, the cere-bral cortex (the largest part) is estimated to contain 15–33 billion neurons, each connected by synapses to several thousand other neurons. No one quite knows how information is encoded in the brain from cell to cell or even if information is encoded differently in different sections of the brain. What this means is we still have years and years of research before we get anywhere near close to finding a cure for this disease. It is not as simple as a vaccination and has nothing to do with bacteria or antibodies. To be truly proactive in reducing the impact the disease has on us we need to look for answers in the here and now, not 20 years from now. The mind is comparable to a tool, and just like any tool it can become dull or rusted, keeping our minds sharp is the quickest and most cost effective method of beating Alzheimer’s. This can be achieved by simple day to day things that some older people do not always keep up with. Simply having a conversation with someone can help keep your wits about you and as common as this may sound some older people do not have that luxury. Cooped up in their house all day or left in a nursing home to wither is the norm for a great number of our elders, they are not treated like the people they are anymore and instead are ignored and ridiculed. It is not clear where or when this mentality of complete apathy for our elders occurred but surely these are not the morals we wish to teach our children less we endure the same fate. There needs to be a government regulated clinic where people of a certain age can retreat if the means are not there for them in their current situation. A place where they can be cared for and talked to like the human beings they are, this would not only supply jobs to thousands of young adults but also create a better environment for everyone to live. No one wants to see an 80 year old abandoned at an emergency room with no place to turn. We can beat this stigma that the elderly have no value, it is beginning to take hold in our younger generation and needs to be eradicated now.

Every patient diagnosed with Alzheimer’s has died or has been pronounced terminally ill, their life span post diagnosis is estimated between 8 to 10 years. Imagine knowing that eventually everything including family members, friends, and even a significant other will all be forgotten. Lost in the abyss that is the human mind, you lose all sense of self and to the outside world you are near equivalent to a zombie. Unable to communicate with anyone it is unknown if anything is still left of the person that once dwelled with-in the physical body that is still alive. While Alzheimer’s has no current cure that does not justify its victims to be abandoned and left for dead, there are many options to be explored in helping them from digressing further.

Works Cited

Egan, Timothy. “Old, Ailing and Finally a Burden Abandoned.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Mar. 1992. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

“Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia.” Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia. N.p., 07 Dec. 2016.

“Stages of Alzheimer’s & Symptoms.” Stages of Alzheimer’s & Symptoms. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Mayo Clinic Staff Print. “Alzheimer’s Disease.” Treatment – Alzheimer’s Disease. N.p., 22 Dec. 2015. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.

Rebecca Ley. “Why DO so Many Children Abandon Parents in Their Darkest Hour?” Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 28 May 2014. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.

“Alzheimer’s Statistics.” Alzheimers.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.

Research Position Paper-edwardnihlman

Are Video Games Really the Cause of Violence?

When someone commits a crime, it is very easy for the government or parents to blame video games, because they are not associated with them. The fact of the matter is, violent video games are only one out of many sources of increased aggression, and it is not even a particular one that is directly correlated with criminal activity. If people would dig deeper, they would find that the video games and other media, are not the blame for mass murders and other crimes. An individual’s environment, upbringing, and social class create aggression and contribute to criminal activity. The true reason video games are blamed is, because they are used as a scapegoat for others who are more responsible for inciting violent behavior in people.

Despite what others may say, not every United States citizen has equal opportunities. Some people have disadvantages against them based on their race, ethnicity, gender, etc. With this in mind, consider an experiment performed by Tobias Greitemeyer and Christian Sagioglou which proves that people of a lower socioeconomic status are more likely to be aggressive than those of a higher status. The United States government promises equal opportunity, and yet many people have it harder than others. If these same people are forced into a lower class, find increased aggression from their status, and then commit a crime, then it does not paint a very pretty picture of the government which allows such things to occur and blames video games for its own failures.

 Furthermore, Jennifer Welsh wrote about a study by Michael Lorber, which discovered that an aggressive personality can be formed due to negative parenting when a child is still an infant. Since a baby is very impressionable, a parent’s negative treatment towards the child and around the child can assist in building a violent mind that could later commit crimes. The point is, violent video games are a proven cause of aggressive behavior in people, but it is not the only factor. There are other reasons for increasing aggressive behavior;  some of which are not flattering for various groups of people. If attention was put on society or parenting, as a cause for increased aggression, it might make the government or parents very concerned for their own image. In contrast, people put all of the attention on interactive media.

The biggest argument against video games being a scapegoat is that they actually do lead to violent behavior. Violent video games causing violent behavior in gamers seems like a reasonable thing to conclude. The evidence for such a conclusion is also seemingly concrete.  Such evidence includes studies showing that aggression does increase when playing violent video games, as well as testimonies from culprits. However, I have found that the evidence supporting violent video games as a catalyst for criminal activity is taken for granted and interpreted incorrectly to favor that stance.

Aggressive behavior does not necessarily mean violence. For decades, politicians and parents have been blaming violent video games as the catalyst for violent behavior in those who play them. A year ago, the American Psychological Association released a study indicating that video games do increase aggression and decrease empathy and sensitivity. At face value, one might think that this proves the claims correct, and that video games do incite violence out of its audience. However, this study does not quite prove that. The study says, violent video games increase aggressive behavior, but there is still no correlation between this changed behavior and outright violence.

 To better understand what I mean, one must better understand what aggressive behavior entails. According to the University of North Carolina, aggressive behavior is a persistent pattern of behavior that causes or threatens harm to people. Aggression is seen in many forms. There are verbal forms such as taunts and threats. Physical forms such as tantrums, throwing, and fights. Covert forms such as lying, stealing and drug use. Besides, these there are many other types. The fact of the matter is that some forms of aggression are less severe than others. Without a doubt, any form of physical aggression can easily lead to violence, but other forms such as lying or taunting are less clear. With such a broad spectrum of what is considered aggression, suggesting violent video games causes aggressive activities is a weak argument in blaming them for violent crimes.

 To elaborate, someone who plays violent video games might end up being more prone to taunt others. They may even lie or steal more often. There is even the potential that these games could lead to a violent crime, but each form of aggression listed above is very different. Whether it be verbal or physical, noticeable or subtle. There is nothing that truly links one form of aggression to another, besides them just being a form of aggression. Violent video games may only increase one form of aggressive behavior, or it could increase all of them. Despite the research done, there is not enough to pinpoint violent behavior as an effect of increased aggression. In turn, this also means there is not enough to indicate violent behavior as an effect of video games.

 A critical point is that some criminals admit to video games playing a part in their crime. ABC News reported in 2003 that William and Joshua Buckner shot at passing cars on the Tennessee highway, killing a man and injuring a woman. After being apprehended, they claimed that they were inspired to do the crime after playing a game called Grand Theft Auto. There seems to be very obvious scapegoating in this situation. James Fleck explains in his essay Why We Blame Others, that people will blame another person or source for an action out of habit. When someone is under heat for their actions, it is a natural reaction to attempt to bring attention off of one’s self and onto another source. This instance is no different. Whether or not someone is trying to lessen their prison sentence or some other underlying goal, criminals will typically bring other people or another factor into their crime so that they do not get the full wrath of their apprehension.

In conclusion, the evidence that supports the argument of violent video games causing violent behavior is often misinterpreted. Just because games can cause aggression, does not mean it results in criminal activity, especially when violent crimes are decreasing as video games are becoming more and more popular. Even testimonies from criminals cannot be taken at face value since a criminal will say almost anything to lessen the consequences of their actions. In reality, for a perpetrator to blame video games only adds to the idea that violent video games are used as a scapegoat. Taking in the fact that other groups such as the government and parents would want to blame video games to subvert attention from themselves, and the case against violent video games leading to crimes becomes less and less concrete. Where video games as a cause of violent behavior is less clear, bad parents and a terrible class system created by the government is seemingly more definitive.

Works Cited

“APA Review Confirms Link Between Playing Violent Video Games and Aggression.” American Psychological Association. N.p., 13 Aug. 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

Fraser, Mark W., James K. Nash, Maeda J. Galinsky, and Kathleen M. Darwin. “The Making Choices Program: Social Problem- Solving Skills …” University of North Carolina. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Greitemeyer, Tobias, and Christina Sagioglou. “Subjective Socioeconomic Status Causes Aggression: A Test Of The Theory Of Social Deprivation.” Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology 111.2 (2016): 178-194. PsycARTICLES. Web. 6 Nov. 2016.

Welsh, Jennifer. “‘Negative Parenting’ Starts Aggressive Personalities Early.” Live Science. N.p., 26 Oct. 2011. Web. 6 Nov. 2016.

Entertainment Software Association, “Essential Facts About Games and Violence,” http://www.theesa.com, 2008

News, ABC. “Did Video Game Drive Teens to Shootings?” ABC News. ABC News Network, 06 Sept. 2003. Web. 23 Nov. 2016.

Fleck, J. R. (2011). Why we blame others: An examination of scapegoating (Order No. 1492807). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (862344967).

Reflective – thathawkman

Core Value I. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

When I first made the proposal + 5, I based my article on the concept of millennials. I then found the 5 articles that I was planning to use for my eventual research paper. I analyzed the sources and conceptualized how I would have fit the sources in my essay. However, I eventually switched my thesis completely so I had to repeat the same steps to help for my actual research paper. Repeating the same step showed me how the essays can be constructed and molded by the information and citations that you make and how the more modifications that is added, the more the essay can grow and adapt. I started to appreciate the repeated process of finding more and more information to then add on to a concept of an idea that can easily change.

Core Value II. My work demonstrates that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

In my Visual Rewrite, I analyzed a 30-second ad of a little boy who was attempting to eat food. However, as I described the ad frame by frame, I started to talk to other people to see what they believed certain details represented different claims for different people. From there, used the different ideas that each idea can imply and used to completely analyze a situation. For example, the ad displayed numerous pictures on a fridge. However, once I started to analyze each picture as a separate claim, I was able to deduce much more information than I originally thought I would. Two of the most notable papers was a family drawing, which lacked a large male figure and showed a lady in all blue, and a Diploma. With only these two articles of paper and examining them as claims, I deduced that the father left the household and forced the mother who was a nurse to constantly work to fill a financial gap.

Core Value III. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

In the Stone Money Rewrite, I originally wrote the analyzation of the podcast and numerous articles of the different forms of money as a very formal paper as I was used to that in my former classes. However, the lessons on how to entice the reader to read more instead of trying to simply relay information changed my view on how to write the paper. From attempting to add details in the lecture of Cows and Chips, I started to imagine my language in a way so that the reader can easily understand. I then changed my very abstract descriptions of money to easy to understand representations. This was one of the first times I considered the audience of my writing

Core Value IV: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

In my Causal Rewrite, I viewed many different articles that made many different claims of why the work environment for scientists is  causing issues. I started to understand the situations and constrictions each claim was attempting to make and I combined the separate claims together to make a causal chain that utilizes claims such as the scientists are forced to publish what will make them money, and connect that with the issue of businesses can influence with money and how the two ideologies became a perfect segway for each other.

Core Value V. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

In my Research Position Paper, I utilized many different studies and controversies to help prove my point. I supplied the information and background that was needed to help understand the pretexts of a situation and why the result of the situation mattered. Since scientific studies are very based on what the study attempted to find, its results, and the actual effect it had. I attempted to use and supply with all the knowledge of my studies and then explain what resulted afterward. For example, one of my studies was showing how a retest of already published studies can differ. Instead of only saying the result, I took the entire context of what the study did in order to explain the source as best as possible.

 

Annotated Bibliography- yankeeskid6

  1. Bandler, Aaron. “5 Statistics You Need To Know About Cops Killing Blacks.”Daily Wire. N.p., 07 July 2016. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: This article from The Daily Wire mostly discusses the common misconceptions with police officers and black civilians. The 5 points that are presented have to do with black civilians, Hispanic civilians, white/black/Hispanic cops as well as death rate and crime. The author proves with accurate statistics his argument on black hate crime.

How I Used It: I used this article to show case that what we see on the media isn’t the whole truth. I used statistics to show that in fact black civilians aren’t getting shot as much as we are led to believe and that cops are being targeted as well.

  1. “Is Biased Media Coverage of Police Shootings of Blacks Creating a False Narrative of an Epidemic of White Racist Cops Murdering Innocent Blacks?” Is Biased Media Coverage of Police Shootings of Blacks Creating a False Narrative of an Epidemic of White Racist Cops Murdering Innocent Blacks? – Quora. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: This article talks about the media and its role in coverage of racist white cops and how they heighten the issue. It talks bout biased media especially African American run media. Finally, it brings up a new concept of justified arrests or killings even from technically innocent people. The article proves that killings by officers in certain situations have been going on for years but have been recently heightened by the news media to direct it in a racism way. It also proves that even with  low population more than half the officers killed have been by African Americans and that most black kills have been on murders and rapists.

How I Used It:  I used this article to back up my concept of media coverage blinding us from the real truth. I also used the article to help explain why people get shot and that it isn’t just “innocent” all the time.

  1. “Philando Castile Shooting: What Happened When Filming Stopped?”CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: This article talks about 2 cases in which police are being scrutinized for using excessive force, that is the Sterling case as well as the Castile case. The article talks about what happened after the Castile case when the cameras cut and later that night. We also hear the side of the officers in the Sterling case.

How I Used It: The chose this article because it proves that cops do whatever they can to save victims and help families. Once the cameras cut the officers performed CPR on the victim and tried to save his life, and later that night comforted the family and daughter. This shows they aren’t animals. It also expresses the biggest concern in all of these cases, was the victim truly innocent. It proves in the Sterling case the officers tried many different ways to take him down, but he gave no response and reached for a gun they had no choice but to fire.

  1. “Media & Racism.”Media & Racism. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: This article chronicles the case of Zachory Hammond an unarmed white male that was shot to death by police officers.

How I Used It: The main reason I chose this article is to show that a case like that of Hammond isn’t publicized enough because it doesn’t fit the racial standard. Many people don’t know about it because it’s a white death. It is easy to create tension and stir things up if the victim is of a different race. Therefore, it’s just another way of how the media manipulates the public into thinking just African Americans are being killed by officers.

  1. “Police Shootings and Race.”The Washington Post. WP Company, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: Article gives substantial statistics of police shootings and racial involvement as well as the crime rate of races that are being killed.

How I Used It: I used this article to help argue that measurements should be made off of crime rate rather than race because crime rate is the deciding factor to where and how many officers are stationed in certain places Statistics show that most crime ridden places are towns with large minority classes. This helped me make my case that police aren’t trying to racially profile African Americans. It is not their fault they are stationed in crime ridden areas that happen to be mostly African American.

 

  1. Staff-, TNO. “New FBI Crime Figures Confirm: Black Towns Most Dangerous, White Areas Safest – The New Observer.”The New Observer. N.p., 04 Dec. 2014. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: This article gives us a lot of statistics about inner cities, crime rate, poverty and arrests. The article is from FBI records as well.

How I Used It: I used the statistics in the article to prove my point further that in fact minority neighborhoods have the highest crime rate and most arrests. I used it to once again show that officers are stationed there against their will and that they are there just to do their job. Finally, I used this article to showcase another problem that is a catalysts for the race tensions and that is the struggle of poverty.

  1. Definitions.com

Background: A website to get definitions of terms.

How I Used It: I used it to make sure I had the right definitions for the vast amount of terms I was using that I was not 100% familiar with.

  1. French, David. “The Numbers Are In: Black Lives Matter Is Wrong about Police.” National Review. National Review, 28 Jan. 2016. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article talks about Movements such as “Black Lives Matter” and how their reasons behind protesting are false. Also talks about how police use force mainly for protection or to protect others.

How I Used It: I used the article to back up my claim that these protesters are irrational and ill-informed. Also used some of the statistics to show how rare a police shooting on an unarmed victim really is.

9. http://www.pbs.org/race/000_About/002_04-background-03-08.htm

Background: Talks about poverty and where race lives in the inner city.

How I Used It: I used this to help prove my point that racism, and police brutality isn’t the only problem out there. Poverty is a huge reason why crime is committed just to stay alive. Helps prove my point that we as a society need to look at the larger picture to why things happen rather than pointing fingers and yelling.

  1. Bruer, Wesley. “Violent Crime Rising in US Cities, Study Finds.”CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article talks about crime rising in inner-cities for the past couple of years. Also talks about the African American communities struggle with crime and homicide.

How I Used It: Used the article to help me explain how dangerous the inner-cities are. Also to showcase how much crime actually goes on and how many people are killing each other. This helps justify the reasons behind such high arrests and shootings from cops.

Annotated Bibliography-Prof2020

 

Adherents.com. (n.d.). Retrieved December 01, 2016, from http://www.adherents.com/
Background: This page gives information on the number and kinds of religions around the world
How I Used It: I used it as a source for naming how many recognized religions exist

MailOnline, R. O. (2015, December 22). Religion has been causing conflicts for more than 2,000 years: Rather than binding ancient societies together, belief systems may have torn them apart in Mesoamerica. Retrieved December 01, 2016, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3370189/Religion-causing-conflicts-2-000-years-binding-ancient-societies-belief-systems-torn-apart-Mesoamerica.html
Background: The article offers some insight on the history of conflicts caused by religion.
How I Used It: I cited this website when specifying how long religious conflict had been prevalent in society.

Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury BaptistsThe Final Letter, as Sent. (n.d.). Retrieved December 02, 2016, from https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danpre.html
Background: An online form of the library of congress
How I Used It: This is where I obtained a copy of Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptist Church and used it as support when explaining the true meaning of the First Amendment.

Cain, C. (2016, May 09). Republicans Turn God Upside Down with Their Twisted Version of Religious Liberty. Retrieved December 01, 2016, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cody-cain/republicans-turn-god-upsi_b_9857402.html
Background: This article in the Huffington Post is written from the point of view that republicans have warped the meaning of religious freedom to best suit their needs.
How I Used It: This article gave various examples of what the concept of religious freedom is supposed to protect and the history of religious freedom in America.

Impact of 9/11 on Muslim Americans. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2016, from http://www.soundvision.com/article/impact-of-911-on-muslim-americans
Background: This article was written to explain how Muslim Americans were affected by the events of 9/11.
How I Used It: It gave specific statistics on the number of muslims experiencing discrimination and abuse in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks and how those numbers have fluctuated.

Mission. (2016). Retrieved December 01, 2016, from https://www.tsa.gov/about/tsa-mission
Background: This website offers background on the inception and history of the TSA.
How I Used It: It explained why the TSA was created and what they’re mission is, which is to “Protect the nation’s transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce.”

After 9/11: ‘You no longer have rights’ – extract. (2011, September 02). Retrieved December 03, 2016, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/sep/02/after-9-11-muslim-arab-american-stories
Background: This article tells the stories of three Muslim Americans who faced discrimination in the wake of 9/11.
How I Used It: I explained the story of one of the people in the article to offer insight into the kind of discrimination faced by Muslim Americans across the country.

You are being redirected… (n.d.). Retrieved December 01, 2016, from http://archive.adl.org/religion_ps_2004/religion.html
Background: The covers the topic of what pertaining to religion is permissible in the school setting.
How I Used It: It explained the difference between teaching religion and teaching about religion as well as offer examples of what practices and conversations may or may not be allowed

Why Religion Should Not Be Taught in Public Schools – Olivia Godfrey. (2013, September 23). Retrieved December 02, 2016, from http://knightlyherald.com/why-religion-should-not-be-taught-in-public-schools-olivia-godfrey/
Background: This is an article written by Olivia Godfrey on why she believes religion should not be talked about in school.
How I Used It: This gave details and insight into why people would oppose my argument and helped me to rephrase my statements in a way that would allow me to address my audience in a more effective way.

Marzano, R. J. (n.d.). Chapter 2. A Brief History of Supervision and Evaluation. Retrieved December 03, 2016, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/110019/chapters/A-Brief-History-of-Supervision-and-Evaluation.aspx
Background: This article was written on the history of how teachers were appointed and evaluated.
How I Used It: The importance of properly evaluating teachers cannot be overstated. I used it in reference to the process by which teachers are evaluated to reassure people that the question of the integrity of our teachers does not require a complex answer.

Kilman, C. (2007, Fall). One Nation, Many Gods. Retrieved November 25, 2016, from http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-32-fall-2007/feature/one-nation-many-gods
Background: The website, aptly named Teaching Tolerance, tells the story of the Modesto School District, which I heavily reference in my paper.
How I Used It: The story explained in the article is central to my argument on why making a world religions course mandatory in public schools is not only important but also possible.

Rebuttal Rewrite – scarletthief

Race vs. Gender: Is There A Difference?

Self-identification of race encounters more opposition than self-identification of gender in America. We easily accepted Bruce Jenner identifying as a woman in 2015, but shunned Rachel Dolezal, a Caucasian-born woman, for identifying as African-American in that same year. Half of the Millennial generation acknowledge the idea that “gender is a spectrum” instead of just male or female; cities and public establishments have created no-gender ID cards and bathrooms to accommodate for all genders. So what makes choosing our race so different when they are ultimately very similar in regards to how gender and race develop and the advantages gained from claiming to be one or the other?

One example of a benefit to being a certain race would be earning college scholarships by identifying as African-American. Many see this as unfair to real African-Americans who are eligible to the scholarships – no scholarship means no education. Natasha Scott, daughter of an African-American father and an Asian mother, applied solely as an African American rather than African-American and Asian to increase her chances of being accepted into the University of Virginia. By claiming to be solely Black, more educational and most likely monetary opportunities were open to her. Gender similarly has it’s advantages despite the benefit not being monetary. A man who is transgender is able to enter an otherwise prohibited area – the women’s bathroom. Transgender and intersex individuals can also gain an advantage in activities like the Olympics. In Layden’s article, “Is It Fair for Caster Semenya to Compete against Women at the Rio Olympics?” he mentions how intersex competitors may dominate in women competitions because of how testosterone aids in certain muscular development.

Furthermore, race and gender in general are similar by how they develop in humans.  Children don’t begin classifying people into different races until around 10 years old. If the  children grew up in a politically liberal area, they believed in classifying people into racial categories as oppose to children who grew up in politically conservative areas who believed that categorizing races was wrong. The development of racial identity in children stems from the environment and the members of society surrounding them. An example would be Lacey Shwartz, mentioned in the article “Family Secret and Cultural Identity Revealed In ‘Little White Lie,'” who grew up with white Jewish parents in a white community. Despite her African American features, she identified herself as white because of the community and people she lived with. Similarly, in the documentary Somewhere Between, four Chinese-American girls were adopted by Caucasian parents and grew up thinking of themselves as white. They compared themselves to a banana that was yellow on the outside and white on the inside.

As mentioned, gender identity development is similar to the development of children’s racial identity because they both develop from their environment. Girls who grow up surrounded by princesses, dresses, dolls, and other female stereotypes are likely to identify themselves as female once they are old enough. If boys were surrounded by similar princesses, dresses, dolls, and such, they would also be likely to identify themselves as female if they weren’t told they were biologically males. Parents are encouraged to help their daughters or sons to develop a healthy gender identity by exposing their child to both genders’ activities, clothes, jobs, and to alternate gender roles such as male nurses or female firefighters. Gender identity in children develops through exposer to gender roles and activities in their community like racial identity.

However, self identifying race and self identifying gender have a major difference. When self identifying as a specific gender, people usually look like the gender they are identifying as. If a male identifies himself as female, he uses she, her, hers to describe himself and alters his appearance to appear female. In this case, the person matches his physical appearance. On the other hand, claiming one’s race isn’t as easy. Although a person can claim to be a race, their appearance may not match the claim. An example of this would be in Garcia-Navarro’s article “For Affirmative Action, Brazil Sets Up Controversial Boards To Determine Race” where 27-year-old Afro Brazilian Lucas Siquiera  was denied a Brazilian diplomatic position because the public and the government’s “race commission” considered him Caucasian based on his appearance. The main point in the article was that his claim did not match his appearance. Society isn’t confused when gender is claimed because the claim matches the looks, but race doesn’t always match the appearance of the person. The confusion with self identification of race makes it less accepted by society because the public can’t tell  if applicants  are the race they say they are if they don’t match the physical characteristics common to the race they identify as. In Natasha Scott’s situation, she claims to be purely African American in her college application and looks African American too. However, Massachusetts Democratic Senate Elizabeth Warren claims to be part Cherokee Indian and looks white. She, despite proof of her relations,  isn’t considered Native American by society because her appearance doesn’t match her Cherokee claim.

Works Cited

Garcia-Navarro, Lulu. “For Affirmative Action, Brazil Sets Up Controversial Boards To Determine Race.” NPR. NPR, 29 Sept. 2016. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

“Gender Identity Development in Children.” HealthyChildren.org. American Academy of Pediatrics, 21 Nov. 2015. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

Layden, Tim. “Is It Fair for Caster Semenya to Compete against Women at the Rio Olympics?” SI.com. Sports Illustrated, 11 Aug. 2016. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

Markman, Art. “Categories, Essentialism, Race, and Culture.” Psychology Today. N.p., 27 Oct. 2009. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

“Minority Rules: Who Gets To Claim Status As A Person Of Color?” NPR. 16 May 2012. Web. 31 October 2016.

Norris, Michele. “Family Secret And Cultural Identity Revealed In ‘Little White Lie’” NPR. NPR, 23 Mar. 2015. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

“On College Forms a Question of Race, or Races, Can Perplex.” The New York Times. 13 June 2011. Web. 31 October 2016.

“Being Blackish: Race and Self-Identification.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 23 June 2015. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

Wong, Curtis M. “50 Percent Of Millennials Believe Gender Is A Spectrum, Fusion’s Massive Millennial Poll Finds.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 2 Feb. 2016. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

Bibliography – aaspiringwriter

1. Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.

Background: India is the fastest growing economy in the world but keeping up with the competition is a tricky thing.

How I use it: I used this article to show a comparison between Chinese and Indian Economy in my paper since they are considered biggest competitors.

2. Pti. “India’s Growth Rate to Accelerate to 8-10% in 2-5 Years: CEA Arvind Subramanian.” The Economic Times. N.p., 26 Feb. 2016. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.

Background: The Economic Advisor predicts the growth of India in the coming years

How I use it: I used this article to provide the estimated growth of India in the next 2-5 years in my research paper.

3. Fensom, Anthony. “China, India To Lead World By 2050, Says PwC.” The Diplomat. The Diplomat, 12 Feb. 2015. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.

Background: Asia’s powerhouse economies are predicted to be dominant by mid-century.

How I use it: This article provides evidences why India is predicted to overtake china, this evidence makes my argument stronger.

4. “Poverty & Equity.” Poverty & Equity Data | India | The World Bank. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: World Bank provides statistics of poverty in India.

How I use it: I used these statistics in my paper to give an estimate of poverty in India.

5. Media, Triami. “Historic Inflation India – CPI Inflation.” Historic Inflation India – Historic CPI Inflation India. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: The historic Indian Inflation rate based upon consumer price index (CPI).

How I use it: This article helped me get an overview of the change in the inflation rate of India in the recent years.

6. President, BCG Senior Vice. “Direct/indirect Employment IT Industry India 2008-2016 | Statistic.” Statista. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: The statics shows the amount of employment opportunities created by the Indian IT sector in 2008-2016.

How I use it: This article helped me demonstrate how many jobs IT industry has been able to create in India and How it is a major contributor of the Indian economy.

7.“Brand India.” IT Industry in India, Indian Information Technology, ITeS Sector, Services. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: India has become the top destination for IT companies around the world.

How I use it: This article helped me demonstrate the growth of IT sector in India and how it is influencing Indian economy.

8. “World Bank Says India Faces Stark Digital Divide – Times of India.” The Times of India. Business, 10 May 2016. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: Digital Revolution in India has brought a digital gab between the rural and the urban India.

How I use it: This article helped me shows how Indian cities are advancing with the development in digital technology and how villages are left behind and neglected.

9. August 29, 2014 International Agricultural Trade Reports. “India’s Agricultural Exports Climb to Record High.” India’s Agricultural Exports Climb to Record High | USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: India’s Agricultural Exports Climb to Record High.

How I use it: This article helped me provide data on how the agriculture Industry in India contributes to the economy and how majority of people are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood.

10. “Farmer Population Falls by 9 Million in 10 Years – Times of India.” The Times of India. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: More and more farmers are opting out of farming.

How I use it: This article helped me demonstrate how farmers in India are opting out of farming because of the lack of resources.

Annotated Bibliography – thathawkman

Annotated Bibliography

1.Head, M. L. “The Extent and Consequences of P-Hacking in Science.” The Extent and Consequences of P-Hacking in Science. PLoS Biol, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article analyzes the many different ways that scientific studies can be changed. From the bias of selection or the File-drawer effect and the concept of inflation (also known as p-hacking) Other methods of “unethical” methods of publishing is conducting analyses midway through experiments to decide whether to continue collecting data a, using many response variables and deciding which to report in the post-analysis and whether to include or drop outliers post analyses, excluding, combining, or splitting treatment groups post analysis stopping data exploration if an analysis yields a significant p-value manipulating the given data to see what correlatesAre false positive.

How I Used It: I derived many of the different implications and methods that scientists can use to have control over the study which should be influenced by the scientist. I also defined the many different methods and cited the article’s definition of publication bias.

2. Rosenthal, Robert. “The File Drawer Problem And Tolerance For Null Results.” Psychological Bulletin 86.3 (1979): 638-641. PsycARTICLES. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article delved deep into the bias known as the file Drawer problem and discussed in depth the implication that null results of studies that are not published to studies that are. Through mathematical computation, Robert Rosenthal found the ratio of how many ‘stored away’ studies it would take to make the significant data significant.

How I Used It: I primarily used this article for its analysis of the file drawer bias. I cited their definition and learned about the implications that both caused the bias and what the bias causes.

3.Aschwanden, Christie. “Science Isn’t Broken.” FiveThirtyEight. N.p., 19 Aug. 2016. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.

Background: This web article delves deep to the utilization of  p-hacking and its process. It describes the potential of how the system where scientific studies are produced can be abused and how the scientific community itself understand that there is a problem. The author also speaks about how p-hacking is not innately evil but is caused due to bias. The article then describes the process of retracting statements and analyzed the situation as a whole and what it means for the scientific community

How I Used It: I used this article for describing in depth the process of p-hacking and what it can do. I also learned about the hardships that scientists have to undergo through and how biases can easily occur. This article also gave ideas of the rebuttal, as the author described that the p-hacking should not be considered as evil

4. Nielsen, MD Bodil. “Association of Funding and Conclusions in Randomized Drug Trials.“Association of Funding and Conclusions in Randomized Drug Trials. The JAMA Network, 20 Aug. 2003. Web. 01 Dec. 2016.

Background: A study that analyzed the correlation between the type of funding a study received and the influence on if it made a noticeable impact on the number of positive studies made. This study took 370 randomly selected papers that tested a pharmaceutical drug and found what type of funding it received and if the study gave a positive result. They concluded that the studies that were funded by for-profit organizations  ended up more likely to publish in favor of the drug.

How I Used It: I used this study to show the relationship between corporation funding and studies. This I showed how this relationship favors the businesses as drugs that should not be verified as beneficial are now being verified due to the corporation’s influence.

5.

Turner, Erick H. “Selective Publication of Antidepressant Trials and Its Influence on Apparent Efficacy — NEJM.” New England Journal of Medicine. N.p., 17 Jan. 2008. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

Background: A study from in 2008 when the FDA that took replication tests  for 74 studies that proved the effectiveness of numerous FDA-registered antidepressants. They retested the published antidepressants and compared their results to the published results. Overall, a majority of the replications were found to be not positive.

How I Used It: I used this study to describe how often and easy it is for untrue claims to be able to be published. This simultaneously showed the strength and potency of replication tests.

6. “Vioxx Recall – Merck and FDA.” DrugWatch. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article discusses the massive controversy for the drug Vioxx, a prescription painkiller. This drug was spread as quickly as possible but was eventually found that this drug more than doubled the risk of heart attacks and death. This massive controversy brought to light the issues with the publishing system and the FDA corruption.

How I Used It: I used this article to showcase the very real and prevalent issues that bias in scientific studies can cause. This also showcases how fallible the FDA is even though it was supposed to regulate problems to prevent issues like Vioxx created.

7.Hampton, Phil. “Pressure to ‘publish or Perish’ May Discourage Innovative Research, UCLA Study Suggests.” UCLA Newsroom. N.p., 08 Oct. 2015. Web. 018 Nov. 2016

Background: The web article from UCLA discussed the lack of innovation from scientific studies and how a study quantified it. The study led by Jacob Foster analyzed a database of more than 6.4 million papers and analyzed papers for 1934 to 2008. Foster found that there has been a drastic decrease in innovation overall. Then they attempt to explain why the decrease has occurred, mentioning issues such as the need to consistently publish.

How I Used It: I used this article/study to demonstrate how narrow  the options a scientist can take really take. I also used this to describe how the lack of innovation can yield even bigger issues in the future.

8.

Hutt, Peter Barton. “Untangling the Vioxx-Celebrex Controversy: A Story about Responsibility.“Tran, Lan. N.p., 4 May 2005. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.

Background: A complete in- depth review of the issues the drug Vioxx had. This article lists every interaction Vioxx legally had and supplies a response for each event. It goes from the approval process how the FDA approves drugs, to Merck’s inevitable withdrawal of Vioxx

How I Used It: I used this article by explicitly describing the process of how the FDA approves a drug and how it failed to deny Vioxx with its very harmful side effects. This allowed me to refute the idea that the FDA can complete prevent the consequences of bias studies.

9.

https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/lancet-retracts-wakefield-article/

Novella, Steven. “The Lancet Retracts Andrew Wakefield’s Article « Science-Based Medicine.” The Lancet Retracts Andrew Wakefield’s Article « Science-Based Medicine. N.p., 03 Feb. 2010. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article talks about Andrew Wakefield’s  controversial study that there was a relation between the measles vaccination and the development of autism. There were many people authors for the study and the article discussed how they officially renounced the study due to the many implications that the test made. The journal then celebrates and discusses how the journal that originally published the study, Lancet, denounced the study.

How I Used It: I used this study to prove the point that even though a completely biased study was taken down for almost every reason possible, the study still has a large effect to this day.

10.

Altman, D. G. “The Scandal of Poor Medical Research.” The Scandal of Poor Medical Research | The BMJ. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: This article showcases and reasons why scientists are publishing studies that have noticeably dropped in quality.

How I Used It: This article familiarized me with the atmosphere that scientist face and the hardships that the scientists must work through in their field.

11.”Hypothesis Testing (cont…).” Hypothesis Testing – Significance Levels and Rejecting or Accepting the Null Hypothesis. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: This web article explained the processes of how a study is found. This explains the definitions of keywords such as null hypothesis and p-value.

How I Used It: This article was used as a reminder for the information that I previously learned.

12.

Peng, Roger. “A Simple Explanation for the Replication Crisis in Science.” A Simple Explanation for the Replication Crisis in Science · Simply Statistics. N.p., 24 Aug. 2016. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: This article discussed the idea of looking at previous studies to reprove what the study accomplished and why there is a lack of them.  It discusses what these test actually can infer and its extent on previous studies. It also spoke about how it is much harder than it seems to replicate the studies perfectly as many different factors contribute to the overall data.It also mentions the lack of incentive to do these replication test

How I Used It: This article allowed me to further understand what a replication test entails for science as a whole and its limitations. Overall this article emphasized the importance of replication studies to keep and why there is a lack of them

13.

Fanelli, Daniele. “Do Pressures to Publish Increase Scientists’ Bias? An Empirical Support from US States Data.” Do Pressures to Publish Increase Scientists’ Bias? An Empirical Support from US States Data. N.p., 21 Apr. 2010. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background:This article analyzes the biases that studies faces and compares studies to calculate whether or not the pressure to publish altered the data in any way.

How I Used It: This familiarized me with many different types of biases and the atmosphere that the scientists are in. It also proved that there is a relationship, which helps my thesis.

14.

“Who Pays for Science?” Who Pays for Science? N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: An article that explains where funding for scientific studies come from and the potential for studies to be altered due to money.

How I Used It: I used this article to understand the payment method for studies and where issues can arise at.

15.https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/as-drug-industrys-influence-over-research-grows-so-does-the-potential-for-bias/2012/11/24/bb64d596-1264-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9_story.html

Background: This was an article that lists the negative side that pharmaceuticals have and how much influence the organizations have to get away. It lists numerous different controversy and explains the reasoning of how this power shift came to be

How I Used It: This article familiarized me with how prevalent the corruption of the pharmaceutical companies is. This article also gave me an example that I eventually used in my essay

 

 

Research Position Paper – darnell18

Discrimination still plays an incredibly large role in society today. Varying throughout many groups, races, genders, etc., people are currently continuing to live through the struggle of being judged based off of physical appearance. The dictionary defines the word discrimination as “the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.” Much like any other definition of most words, digging a little bit deeper than a textbook interpretation to fully comprehend the word is a necessity. In relation to the researched topic at hand, discrimination is heavily incorporated in the enforcing of laws, and routine traffic stops in particular. It is inexcusable to think that as far as we have come as a nation, that members of society are still heavily discriminated against.

The concept of discrimination is morally wrong and unjust however it is looked at. What is even worse is that this group of minorities being discriminated against are now potentially getting into trouble with the law based on how they look. In Christopher Ingraham’s article, “You Really Can Get Pulled Over For Driving While Black, Federal Statistics Show,” proclaims, “Perhaps most troubling from a civil liberties perspective, nearly five percent of blacks weren’t given any reason for why they were stopped, compared with 2.6 percent of whites and 3.3 percent of Hispanics.” This quote speaks volumes toward the issue at hand. Astoundingly, nearly double the amount of African Americans as compared to caucasians are not even informed as to why they are pulled over. This is where the line must be drawn. There is already no room for racism and discrimination, and now it has been blown so far out of proportion that these people being discriminated against have to pay money for it and possibly have a tainted record.

On the other hand, while discrimination is real and potentially harmful in today’s society, it is also interesting to take into consideration what race the police officers happen to be in the same situation. For example, the statistics show that roughly five percent of African Americans are not given a reason for why they are stopped, but would these traffic stops be considered equally as discriminatory if the police officer making the stop was a minority as well? It is most certainly a very intriguing factor in all of this, because if a black police officer pulls over a black man, very few people’s initial reaction is that the cop is racist. Whereas if it were a white cop in the same situation, the very first thought that comes across most everyone’s mind in society today is that it was for discriminatory purposes. This does not automatically make it acceptable for a black police officer to pull over another black man without a reason, but in the big picture, it simply raises suspicion about an officer’s motive.

One of the worst parts about this issue is that the discrimination does not begin and end with simple traffic stops. From illegal searches of a vehicle to license suspensions and tickets, how an officer chooses to discipline a man or woman that they went out of their way to pull over because of their appearance can be equally discriminatory. Recently, it has even been escalated to these citizens having their lives taken away from them in what could have just been a routine traffic stop. Just recently this past July, a Minnesota police officer shot and killed a black man after pulling him over for a broken tail light. In this instance, it is not clear that he was pulled over because he was black, given that there was a tail light out. Nevertheless, this is something that is rarely ever heard about with a white man on the fatal end of gunpoint. It has gotten so bad that in many places, whenever a police officer even approaches a minority, people take their phones out to record what happens in anticipation of it going awry. When it becomes expected that these stops will go wrong to this extent, something must be done about it.

If our country chooses to turn a blind eye to this, we have seen that a revolt is not unrealistic. In her article, “The Big Question About Why Police Pull Over So Many Black Drivers,” Kim Soften asserted that following the fatal shooting of Philando Castile, snipers in Dallas killed five police officers and injured more. This country is not far from potentially going into a civil war between police and African Americans, and the root of it all is none other than the negative power of discrimination.

Needless to say, so many different problems stem from judging and disciplining somebody based off of their race and appearance. Racism and discrimination have been around for hundreds of years in this country and it would be nice to be able to say that we have come such a long way as a country, but the fact that this is still an issue in 2016 is proof that laws may have changed, but many people’s mindsets have not. It is that toxic belief in discrimination that has set the progress of this nation back.

When it comes to police officers pulling over minorities for discriminatory reasons, the causal chain that follows has proven to be extremely controversial and sometimes even fatal. These looming problems could be non existent if officers used their authority properly on a consistent basis. The specific issue at hand exists in the first place because police officers in today’s society do not always use their discretion to pull drivers over simply for issues relating to the law, but rather because of their discriminatory mentality. Christopher Ingraham claims that “approximately a two percent higher amount of blacks than whites are actually not even given a reason for why they have been pulled over when they get stopped,” in his article, “You Really Can Get Pulled Over For Driving While Black, Federal Statistics Show.” Two percent may not sound extremely high, but when the percentage of whites not given a reason is only at 2.6, then it is almost double the amount of blacks that go through the same thing.

The causal chain that tends to occur in this situation is that discriminating police officers pulling over a higher number of minorities than any other group, then leads to these minorities resenting police officers because they abuse their authority. In addition to that, whether the driver or officer are being particularly way too difficult at the time, things have taken an abrupt, violent turn for the worst.

The Constitution begins by stating that “all men are equal”, yet the society we live in has proven that although it is in The Constitution, it is still far from true. In relation to discrimination by officers potentially turning violent, it is important to understand that the discrimination does not just stop when the car is pulled over. Much like how The Constitution states that all men are equal but still are not treated equally, the 14th Amendment provides equal protection and not allowing discrimination while driving, but that is also not applied consistently. As a nation, we cannot be oblivious and neglect the fact that regardless of what The Constitution may say, law enforcement does not faithfully abide to it. Minorities are referred to as such because there are less of them in our country than whites. Nevertheless, more blacks are pulled over than whites. Minorities making up the majority of people pulled over is a staggering statistic that should not be overlooked.
Just a few months ago, an African-American man named Philando Castile was shot and killed by a police officer in his car in Minnesota. The car was pulled over for a broken taillight, which is understandable. Nevertheless, the man had a 5 year old girl in the back seat when the officer shot him. There was a woman in the passenger seat that started recording the situation on her phone after shots were fired, and her statement explaining the killing was that, ”he let the officer know that he had a firearm and he was reaching for his wallet and the officer just shot him in his arm,” Elliot McLaughlin reports in his article, “Woman Streams Aftermath of Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting.” He had a permit for the gun and went out of his way to make the officer aware he had it. It may not be known how this would have unfolded had the driver been white, but taking into consideration that the society we live in today is full of discrimination and hate, most people would believe that this officer was slightly more on-edge and trigger-happy due to the color of the man on the opposite end of the barrel.

The issue does not just begin and end with a simple traffic stop, either. “The racial disparity isn’t just limited to stops. Other police-driver contact — searches, tickets, arrests and license suspensions — show similar racial skews,” Kim Soften states in “The Big Question About Why Police Pull Over So Many Black Drivers.” This is what leads to the majority of these minorities resenting and not respecting the authority. Many of them may have to deal with ensuing legal issues after getting pulled over, that would not have happened had this epidemic been a thing of the past.

As far as the anticipated rebuttals to this argument go, it is clear that not everybody shares a similar viewpoint on this topic. If everybody had the same mindset about it, it probably would not be a problem. Some rebuttals are indisputably true as well, such as the fact that African American police officers pull over black people as well, so it is unlikely a man would discriminate against someone the same color as him. Nevertheless, with that being said, that does not account for every single traffic stop. It is an exception to the discriminatory pattern of white against black, but yet it cannot be ignored that the percentage of those occurrences is minuscule in relation to the typical white cop, black driver scenario.

As much as our nation would probably like to say that discrimination was a thing of the past, it is not. These are real issues and racism is still alive. Just because it does not come in the visual form of segregation in the early 1900s, does not mean it is gone and over with. It is clearly unknown what it will take to change the discriminatory mindset of the people in our society today, but at this rate it looks like we are on pace to set our country back 100 years and something must be done about it. Yes, we have had a black president, but it is as if we took one step forward and two steps back by now electing a man who openly makes racist and discriminatory remarks in many of his debates and press conferences. There were actually riots when Obama was elected. This shows that a good amount of this country was not ready for a black president. If racial profiling still happened under a black president, they certainly will not improve or just go away under the government of a man who sustains a discriminatory mentality.

Although there are many different statistics supporting the fact that discrimination on the road is a legitimate issue, there are many rebuttals that arise from this hot topic. To name a few, some may argue that many traffic stops including black drivers are just a coincidence that they are minorities and actually did something illegal to get pulled over. Others say that a large contributing factor into this issue is what race the officer is that is making the stop. For example, it could be considered to have less discriminatory intent if a black officer pulls over a black man. With all of this being said, both of these are legitimate points and do occur, but yet, they do not nearly account for the majority of stops with an African American in the car.

As far as the color of the police officer goes, it affects how society and the driver view the situation in a way that can seem less discriminatory, but still it is not that way one-hundred percent of the time. An African American officer can still discriminate against a man or woman of the same race. It may seem less suspicious seeing it, but it can not be overlooked. The color of a person’s skin does not always go hand in hand with their mindset and outlook on life. There is no saying that a black man and white man cannot share the same stereotypical mindset towards black people. To build off of this thought to an extent, Kia Makareche, in his article “What The Data Really Says About Police and Racial Bias,” stated that “a 2010 governor’s task force examining police-on-police shootings found even black and Latino police officers face a greater risk of being killed by police. In cases of mistaken identity, 9 out of the 10 off-duty officers killed by other officers in the United States since 1982 were black or Latino.” So it may be assumed that being a police officer may grant them safety from other officers regardless of skin color, but even then, there are officers so blinded by hate and stereotypes that they forget what they know and act on what they see in certain situations.

In addition to the rebuttal of same-race officers and drivers, people who disagree with the claim that racial profiling while driving is a real issue may counter the argument by saying any one of the stops that happen daily could be a coincidence. The Office of Justice Programs, in their informative article “Traffic Stops,” claimed that “stopped drivers reported speeding as the most common reason for being pulled over in 2011.” Speeding is a very common and easy excuse to use, but without jumping to conclusions, this does support the fact that a large amount of stops could be for justified reasons. The thought is that these black drivers could be pulled over simply because they are breaking the law. While this may hold true for a fair amount of instances, it does not explain why nearly 2 percent more blacks (4.7%) are pulled over without a reason than whites (2.6%), according to Christopher Ingraham in his article titled “You Really Can Get Pulled Over For Driving While Black, Federal Statistics Show.” That statistic is unsettling because if somebody deserves to be pulled over for their driving, regardless of race, then so be it. But with that being said, minorities should not double the amount of whites in a category like this. They are called minorities for a reason, and that is because there are less of them in this country. Therefore, to lead substantially in that category leads to a much worse ratio than whites also getting pulled over without a reason.

Another example of the skewed ratios that were reported by Kim Soften in her article, “The Big Question About Why Police Pull Over So Many Black Drivers,” is that “a study of Connecticut traffic stops in 2014 and 2015 — among the states with the most recent data — found that 14 percent of traffic stops targeted black drivers, despite them making up only 9 percent of the state’s population.” Yet again, this supports the claim that these stops are not all simply coincidental. This is also a very recent study, so as we think we made tremendous progress with an African American president over the last 8 years, which we did to an extent, many people still continued to turn a blind eye to racism and discrimination in its various different forms.

Furthermore, there are logical and understandable rebuttals to this issue in society. Nevertheless, they can be refuted as well. People who pretend it is not real and deny certain statistics may be part of the problem. If more people in this country were open-minded and socially aware we would have a better opportunity to push for change, justice, and equality. To conclude, the great and wise Mahatma Gandhi once said, “be the change you wish to see in the world.” This quote is still relevant today and to this situation in particular, because collectively, we as a nation hold the power to make any change we wish if and when we come together to achieve a common goal.

Works Cited

Ingraham, Christopher. “You Really Can Get Pulled Over For Driving While Black, Federal Statistics Show” The Washington Post, 09 Sept. 2014. Web. 1 Dec. 2016

Soften, Kim. “The Big Question About Why Police Pull Over So Many Black Drivers” The Washington Post, 08 July 2016. Web. 1 Dec. 2016

McLaughlin, Elliot. “Woman Streams Aftermath of Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting” CNN. 08 July, 2016. Web. 06 Nov. 2016

Office of Justice Programs. “Traffic Stops” Bureau of Justice Statistics, Dec. 2016. Web. 1 Dec. 2016

Makarechi, Kia. “What The Data Really Says About Police and Racial Bias” Hive, 14 July 2016. Web. 1 Dec. 2016

Self-Reflective Statement – scarletthief

Core Value I. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

For my Visual Rewrite and Definition Rewrite paper, I took advantage of Professor Hodges feedback to develop and improve my work. For my Visual Rewrite, my first draft had little depth as I never went into the emotional or significance of the environment and the actions of the characters in the video “Your Son’s Messed Up Haircut.” Although I mentioned how the son didn’t have a large reaction to his mother’s shaving mistake, I hadn’t dissected the meaning behind his reaction. For my second draft of the paper, after receiving meaningful and helpful feedback from the professor, I explained in thorough detail the meaning behind the actions I described in the video such as the squeeze after the hug at the end of the video. In the first draft I said the mother hugs her son, but to go deeper into the action I added how a squeeze after the initial hug typically is used to show support and care toward the person being hugged. Hugs in general don’t mean much, but in this context where we find out the son is adopted and that the “squeeze hug” means his adoptive mother loves him as if he was her own flesh and blood.

In my Definition Rewrite, I missed explaining the main reason to why self-identification of race is more important today than it ever has been. Professor Hodges immediately pointed this out and his advice was greatly appreciated. While revising the essay, I addressed how applicants of college scholarships, college admissions, and work institutions were the main subjects who find racial identification of the utmost importance. This core value has been met.

Core Value II. My work demonstrates that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

I did not converse much with my peers during the writing of my Definition Rewrite and Rebuttal Rewrite. I had used Professor Hodge’s feedback wisely to address points in my posts that I had missed. I am unsure if I responded enough to the feed back though. Despite my lack of peer discussions, I used multiple articles to help form the thesis of my papers with evidence and information. Especially for my Rebuttal Rewrite, I used sources to not the similarity of race and gender in general, then countered this by mentioning that self-identifying as a race and gender are actually very different. In this case, I have met the requirements for this core value as I did create an essay that compared two almost unrelated topics by using the information of several sources.

Core Value III. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

For an exercise in class, I was given the opportunity to give feedback to yankeeskid6, prof2020, and dublin517’s on their Definition, Causal, and Rebuttal posts respectively. By analyzing their posts, I gained a greater understanding of what my audience would also want from my works: a clear thesis, direct explanations, and relative examples. I definitely applied what I learned to my Definition Rewrite by clarifying my thesis and writing as concisely as possible for my examples. I can say I have meat the requirements for this core value.

Core Value IV: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

For almost all of my works, I have met this core value. My Definition Rewrite, Rebuttal Rewrite, and Research Paper all incorporate evidence from multiple articles to support my theses. I have used beyond the minimum required number of sources in order to properly describe my ideas. My Rebuttal Rewrite is the best example of how I went beyond the required the expected number of sources which ranged from The Huffington Post articles to pediatrician tips for parents.

Core Value V. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

Maintaining this core value was of the utmost importance by citing the sources I used in my Research Paper, Rebuttal Rewrite, and Definition Rewrite. I learned to properly cite through the Good Citation exercise assigned by Professor Hodges. Instead of using parenthetical citations after sentences or paragraphs, I have inserted the author and title of the articles into my essays along with the information I drew from the sources. I have given the sources of the information respect through my citations in my posts and have not tried to pass of their ideas as my own. I have only used their ideas to help embody my own idea of self-identifitication.