Author: TheConversation

Stop Touching Your Face: Changes to habitual behaviors can minimize the spread of COVID-19

By Stephen D. Benning, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Brian Labus, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Kimberly A. Barchard, Professor of Quantitative Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Public health officials consistently promote hand-washing as a way for people to protect themselves from the COVID-19 coronavirus. However, this virus can live on metal and plastic for days, so simply adjusting your eyeglasses with unwashed hands may be enough to infect yourself. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have been telling people to...

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Cold War Manipulation: Why socialism was branded as un-American to promote the virtues of capitalism

By Oana Godeanu-Kenworthy, Associate Teaching Professor of American Studies, Miami University When Bernie Sanders emerged as a Democratic front-runner in the race for the presidential nomination, some left-leaning pundits and publications were concerned about what they saw as his potential lack of electability. Sanders is a Democratic Socialist. And the label “socialist” has been a political liability in American culture. According to a Gallup poll released on February 11 only 45% of Americans would vote for a socialist. I am a scholar of American culture with an interest in the relationship between political ideologies and popular culture. In my...

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Algorithms Love Outrage: How social media sustains the self-righteous activism of “Cancel Culture”

By Anjana Susarla, Associate Professor of Information Systems, Michigan State University “Cancel culture” has become a pervasive phenomenon, giving rise it as an overly judgmental approach to activism that does little to bring about change. For the uninitiated, here’s a quick primer on the phenomenon: An individual or an organization says, supports or promotes something that other people find offensive. They swarm, piling on the criticism via social media channels. Then that person or company is largely shunned, or “canceled.” It happened to Chick-fil-A when its ties to organizations such as Focus on the Family invited backlash from LGBTQ...

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The disappointment that comes when a pandemic cancels the freedom to party

By Christine Van Winkle, Professor, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management, University of Manitoba Around the world, festivals, sporting events, conferences and community celebrations are being cancelled or postponed due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. Event organizers have had to make difficult decisions about how to proceed, and would-be attendees question whether they should plan to go. In many communities, mass gatherings are banned as social distancing becomes the norm. Technology may allow some organizations to offer event experiences online, and some organizers already have plans underway. This pandemic has already led to high-profile event cancellations. With new...

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Vulnerable Populations: Infection rates and mortality from COVID-19 expected to hit the homeless hard

By Michael Cousineau, Professor of Clinical Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California As the number of cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, continues to grow, the nation is on edge. Doctors and scientists do not know what percentage of the general population has been infected and what percentage of the infected develops symptoms. State and local governments and the federal public health system are deploying strategies to contain the spread of the virus and consider ways to mitigate the effects of the disease on vulnerable groups, the health care system and the economy. But amid all...

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A Sick System: Insurance providers are exacerbating rural health care disparities

By Simon F. Haeder, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Pennsylvania State University Living in rural America certainly comes with a number of benefits. There is less crime, access to the outdoors, and lower costs of living. Yet, not everything is rosy outside the city limits. Rural communities face growing infrastructure problems like decaying water systems. And they have more limited access to amenities ranging from grocery stores to movie theaters, lower quality schools, and less access to high-speed internet. Yet perhaps most daunting are the tremendous health disparities rural Americans face, in terms of both their own health and...

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