Research Position Paper – carsonwentz1186

Posted on April 25, 2021 by Chris McGee

Dead Money Ball

Cooperation between athletes and organizations is the most important aspect needed to successfully build a contending roster in the NFL. While the salary cap continues to grow bigger and bigger every year, the market set for the salary of certain positions also continues to grow exponentially annually. General Managers of sports franchises now face the difficult challenge of distributing their salary cap to an entire 53 man roster while some positions, namely the Quarterbacks, continue to occupy close to a quarter of the salary cap yearly.

It is my belief the NFL should institute a policy limiting just how much of the salary cap a single player can receive  which would result in a better product for the league rather than allowing franchises to be handicapped and hamstrung by their most important players. The players themselves should also sacrifice some of their earnings accordingly in order to create ultimate team success as displayed by longtime New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady. To support this belief, a 2015 study conducted by Max Winsberg of Claremont McKenna College on the relationship between player compensation and team performance found that there is no real positive correlation between the overcompensation of  players and overall team performance.

This type of policy has been instituted among giant corporations and businesses successfully in the past. An article released in The Baltimore Sun written by Blanca Torres outlines the general overview of CEO salaries and what he or she means to their respective companies. Torres suggests that the system for setting CEO pay is “flawed and not based enough on performance.” This can be very similar to the NFL in that the absurd amount of money the Quarterback receives can cause teammates to become resentful as they are who help him win games and he is restricting them from getting the money they feel they deserve.

Being a “team player” is one of the most important qualities to have being a professional athlete. Former Patriots Quarterback, Tom Brady, is the prime example of how working with your organization can result in much success in the athletic industry. Logically speaking, taking less money would result in an organization or franchise having more money to move around the rest of the roster and better the 21 other positions to take the field on Sundays during the NFL season. 

Tom Brady spent every season while in a Patriots uniform taking less money “sacrificing to put his team in a better position” as stated in Business Insider’s Scott Davis in his article “Tom Brady sacrificed at least $60 million in his career helping the Patriots buld Super Bowl-winning rosters”. Davis in his investigation found that if Brady consistently signed equal deals to the top Quarterback contracts in his contract years, he would have made $60 million more than the $287.6 million he actually made in those seasons. Through all of his negotiations and contract restructures, he allowed for his team to re-sign key players in free agency resulting in successful roster constructions and one of, if not the best dynasty in all of professional sports.

Winning the Super Bowl is the goal of every franchise heading into each NFL season. One of the best ways to do this ironically enough has nothing to do with on field player performance. While players and their performance are very important for teams and their championship quests, the events behind the scenes of player development and evaluation can have just as big of an effect on a teams success as on field performance. 

The 2013 Seattle Seahawks are a perfect example of how successful drafting can lead a team to success. Bleacher Report reporter Ty Schalter and his article “The Art of Navigating the NFL Salary Cap” details just how the Seahawks were able to successfully win a championship through number crunching and player evaluation. The Seahawks offensive and defensive units were led by two elite level players at premium positions who were signed to mid round rookie deals in QB Russell Wilson and Cornerback Richard Sherman allowing for the cap flexibility to address their other needs heading into the season. 

How you may ask, was this accomplished? Through the advantages of rookie contracts. Having that type of cap flexibility allowed for the team to bite the bullet on certain players who did not perform up to the standards of their contracts, such as Percy Harvin in particular on that Seahawks roster who was essentially paid millions to play ONE complete game for that entire season. While it may not be the most ‘sexy’ method of roster construction, being a General Manager or a Scouting Director has just as big of an effect on the performance of a team than the players do. 

A study done by the International Journal of Forecasting on the effectiveness of allocating resources revealed that the Seattle Seahawks were among the teams with the highest uncompensated wins from 2011-2015 due to their successful drafting and high level production from players on low rookie-contract salaries (Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman).

Ultimately, the goal of every sports franchise is to build a team to win a championship at all costs. It is commonly believed that the best way to do this in the NFL is to substantially overpay the best player on the team, the Quarterback, to achieve this goal. However, history has shown that this method of team building has come back to hurt teams and their championship aspirations more than it has helped them achieve that goal. Obviously, the Quarterback is the most important in football (maybe even in all of team sports), but it should also be clear by now that spending more than half of your salary budget on one player makes it all but impossible to surround him with the necessary talent he needs to be successful.

One of the most successful franchises in all of professional sports operated against this method and resulted in the longest reigning dynasty in the history of sports. This franchise was the New England Patriots and they built their roster under the belief that while the Quarterback is one of the most important players on the roster, he should be willing to limit his earnings to allow the organization to surround him with the necessary talent needed to reach the “promised land” so to speak. The Quarterback who was willing to cooperate with this method was Tom Brady who is widely considered the Greatest of All Time by many of his peers and those whose careers ended in a Hall of Fame induction.

Scott Davis, a writer for Business Insider, wrote a piece detailing just how Brady negotiated his contracts allowing the Patriots to successfully build the team around him. The article revealed that Brady “sacrificed at least $60 million throughout his career, and maybe as much as $100 million” which resulted in 6 super bowl winning rosters being built around the future Hall of Famer. Now, that may not sound like a lot of money when talking about a man who has been in the NFL for now 21 seasons, but that money given up through his frequent restructures allowed the Patriots to divert their funds to positions of need for team success, such as the signings of key players such as Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman.

The 2013 Seattle Seahawks were another team who defied the necessity of paying the Quarterback a crippling amount of money to win championships. This Seahawks team was by all accounts led by their defense dubbed the “legion of boom” for their heavy hitting and lockdown defense displayed on a weekly basis. Something to take notice of with this team was the Quarterback, Russell Wilson, was still under a mid-round rookie contract worth just $526,000 in the 2013 season, per Bleacher Report’s Ty Schalter, which ultimately allowed the team to go out and sign multiple big name free agents along the defensive line which was a big reason for the team’s success that season. The cap flexibility created by the Quarterback being under a ‘cheap’ contract by NFL standards today also allowed the team to survive the catastrophe of some bad signings, such as receiver Percy Harvin who was given a contract worth $64 million over a six year span. Harvin only played one game the entire season, which was the Super Bowl. 

This method is something the NFL franchises and Quarterbacks of today have yet to adjust to and work around. In today’s NFL, there are substantially large Quarterback contracts being handed out year after year, each one bigger than the last. Over the past three seasons, there have been 5 contracts given out to Quarterbacks that were worth $130 million or more. 3 of which being Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, and Deshaun Watson are currently not on that team’s roster today or are trying to find a way out of the organization.

Both Carson Wentz and Jared Goff for this upcoming season will still cost their former team $22 and $34 million this upcoming season. These two situations alone should be enough to why paying a Quarterback massive amounts of money to win is a flawed concept as now both the Eagles and Rams are paying their former Quarterbacks substantial amounts of money to play for other teams in 2021.

Deshaun Watson, currently of the Houston Texans, just recently signed a 4-year $156M contract right before the start of the 2020 NFL season. Less than 3 months after signing that contract, because of creative differences between him and the organization, he formally requested a trade because things were not going as he believed they should. The penalty for a potential trade would more than likely deal major damage to the Texans cap space. This is the major downside of dealing massive contracts to players who may or may not perform up to an organization’s standards as no team will be willing to take all of the financial heat for another team’s mistake.

I feel as though the best way around this predicament is for action to be taken on behalf of the NFL league office. At the end of the day, the NFL makes the rules for rookie Quarterback contracts and team salary caps. It would be more effective if the NFL could limit the amount of money given to certain positions, like the Quarterback, in order to avoid this financial predicament. The goal of the NFL is to field the best product possible and since Quarterback salaries today are currently prohibiting teams from fielding that product, it would be in the best interest of the NFL to begin working on setting a maximum salary cap per POSITION rather than per roster. 

Overall, the general concept that the Quarterback is the end all, be all of team success is a flawed one. As history has shown, the best way to successfully build a championship team has nothing to do with substantially overpaying one player on a team, but diversifying and more efficiently distributing money to all positions on the roster.

In football, there is a common misconception that paying a certain player more than half of the salary cap or very close to it is the best way to build a championship roster. The idea that a vastly overpaid quarterback will guarantee a Super Bowl is easily disproved by comparing the number of underpaid QBs to the number of overpaid QBs who go to or win championship games. This belief, however, is flawed in many ways as history has shown it has actually done more damage to sports franchises than actually assisting them in achieving their goal of winning a championship.

In the NFL, there has been a growing belief that if you heavily pay the Quarterback of your team, he will lead you to the promised land. Contrary to this increasingly popular belief, there have been more situations where the teams who either get to or wins the Super Bowl actually do it with a Quarterback on a rookie deal or one on a cheap deal as a veteran backup. There has been one instance within the past 4 years where a verteran Quarterback on a cheap contract has won the Super Bowl for his team.

In 2017, the Philadelphia Eagles lost their young franchise Quarterback in Carson Wentz due to a complete ACL and PCL tear. The offseason prior, they brought back a familiar face in Quarterback Nick Foles who was originally drafted by the Eagles but had become a journeyman and bounced around to a few teams before being brought back to Philadelphia. After Wentz went down with his injury, Nick Foles was able to come in and lead the Eagles on an incredible 6 and half game stretch which culminated in a 41-33 win vs the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 52.

Laura Albansese, a reporter from newsday.com, wrote an article how back in 1986, the New York Giants drafted Quarterback Jeff Hostettler in the third round. After their starting Quarterback Phil Simms got hurt in 1991, Hostettler was also able to come into the starting lineup and lead the Giants to a Super Bowl victory over the Buffalo Bills and their Hall of Fame Quarterback Jim Kelly. Jon Renne of sbnation.com wrote an article describing how in 2003, the Carolina Panthers signed Jake Delhomme, an undrafted free agent, to a short term and low money contract and led the Panthers to their first Super Bowl in franchise history later that season. They ended up losing that game to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

Two of the situations above involved the signing of cheap free agent Quarterbacks in Jake Delhomme and Nick Foles, and both of them played against Tom Brady who is known for restructuring his contracts and taking less money for his team to build around him and give him the help he needs to win. Jeff Hostettler, a third round pick in a draft three years prior to the 1991 season, beating Hall of Fame Quarterback Jim Kelly in the Super Bowl is also a great example of why you don’t need to commit close to 50% of your salary cap just to win a championship. Many of the franchises today who are falling victim to this flawed concept, are either in a deep hole financially in regards to the salary cap and are setting themselves up for failure for years to come.

For example, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington wrote an article detailing how the Philadelphia Eagles crippled their entire team by signing Carson Wentz to a 4-year $128M contract that amounted to nearly 50% of their entire payroll for the years the contract covered. Fully $100M was guaranteed whether Wentz played well for them—or played AT ALL for them—over the life of the deal. Not surprisingly, they were unable to build a solid team of difference-makers around him with so little money left to pay for quality skill players. Two years later, with a woeful roster around their franchise $30M/year Quarterback, Carson Wentz has been deported to Indianapolis, and the Eagles still have to pay him $34.7M to play for the only team they could find to take him.

The Los Angeles Rams are currently in a similar situation to the Eagles with their now former Quarterback, Jared Goff. Also in summer of 2019, the Rams signed Jared Goff to a 4-year $134M contract worth an astounding $110M in guaranteed money per Cameron Desilva of USA Today. Not even two years after that ink dried, the Rams traded him away in February of 2021 to the Detroit Lions. The contract given to Goff was so financially crippling for the Rams, that they had to give up extra compensation to Detroit just for them to take on more of Goff’s contract.

Between both the Rams and the Eagles now incurring both $20M+ and $30M+ in dead money against their cap to pay their former Quarterbacks to play against them for different teams, the flaws of this belief as well as the alternatives are starting to come in to light more and more as the years go on while Quarterback contracts continue to become increasingly crippling to a team’s financial outlook.

As you can see, there are many more alternatives to paying Quarterbacks big money to have success. Between the signing of veteran free agent Quarterbacks to cheap deals, successful drafting of mid-low round Quarterbacks, and Quarterbacks being willing to financially cooperate with the team, offers plenty of alternatives to paying ONE player close to half of their salary cap and allow them to build an entire team of talented players to help the Quarterback rather than overpaying for him and sending him out under equipped to succeed. There are several contractual situations currently unfolding in the NFL as we have yet to see if Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes contract and Texans Quarterback Deshaun Watson’s contract will have the same result as so many crippling Quarterback contracts that have been doled out in recent years.

As previously stated, Quarterbacks are almost always the highest paid players on any roster because of their importance to overall team performance. As important as the Quarterback is to an NFL team, these utterly massive contracts being doled out to them are having a serious effect on their teams ability to surround them with enough talent to allow them to succeed as a team. For example, FanNation’s Conner Christopherson in his article “Do Massive Quarterback Contracts Limit Teams in the Long Run” talks about the most recent massive extension given to Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes which was worth $500 million. 

The most important factor in the Chiefs recent success has been the complete roster that has taken the field year after year around Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes has been very successful in the past 2 seasons with that complete roster which leads many to question when the extension begins, will this level of success be sustainable? Recent history points to no.

References

Albanese, L. (2020). Members of Super Bowl champion GIANTS Remember 1990 fondly. Retrieved April 12, 2021.

Benne, J. (2016). A look back at THE Panthers’ first Super Bowl appearance. Retrieved April 12, 2021.

Christopherson, C. (2020). “Do Massive Quarterback Contracts Limit Teams in the Long Run?”. Sports Illustrated Kansas City Chiefs News, Analysis and More, Sports Illustrated Kansas City Chiefs News, Analysis and More, 28 Aug. 2020.

DaSilva, C. (2021). Rams paid the (BIG) price for extending Jared GOFF two years early. Retrieved March 28, 2021.

Davis, S. (2020). “Tom Brady Sacrificed at Least $60 Million in His Career Helping the Patriots Build Super Bowl-Winning Rosters.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 17 Mar. 2020.

Finlay, J. (2020). Wentz’s contract GIVES Eagles WORST QB situation in NFC East. Retrieved April 12, 2021

Mulholland, Jason. (2018). “Optimizing the allocation of funds of an NFL team under the salary cap.” 28 Dec. 2018.

Rolfe, B. (2021). Deshaun Watson’s contract DETAILS, salary cap impact, and bonuses. Retrieved March 28, 2021.

Schalter, Ty. (2017). “The Art of Navigating the NFL Salary Cap.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 19 Sept. 2017.

Torres, Blanca. (2019). “Debate Swirls around CEO Pay.” Baltimoresun.com, Baltimore Sun, 6 Apr. 2019.

Winsberg, Max. (2014). “Player Compensation and Team Performance: Salary Cap Allocation Strategies across the NFL.” 1 Dec. 2014.

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Reflective- Thecommoncase

Posted on April 25, 2021 by thecommoncase

Core Value 1. 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 took this class last semester, I chose to shy away from my work because I was intimidated by it. I never spoke with anyone about how lost I felt with the material until it was too late. This semester, I communicated with Professor Hodges about my writing, and fully embraced the practice of writing instead of thinking. I wrote my Purposeful Summaries as I read them, which allowed me to reassess my thought process as I gathered more information.  The Professor’s suggestion to write about the pervasiveness of opioids showed me the benefits opioids have, and the complexity of the opioid debate. My hypothesis evolved from an outlandish claim to a satirical call to action against the opioid crisis. 

Core Value 2. My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

As I explored the reasons behind opioids prominence, I discovered that opioids can be prescribed for both justifiable and unjustifiable reasons. I read critically and discovered the main arguing points for both sides of the opioid debate. In my Rebuttal Argument, I used sources from articles that were both for and against opioid use to strengthen my argument against opioids. One of my rebuttal sources included a discussion about both sides of the debate, so I had to read critically and make it clear to my audience that there was one specific side of this discussion that I was focusing on. I used this argument to seamlessly refute the pro-opioid source that I used. 

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

My original thesis relied on the use of medical marijuana as alternative treatment to opioids, but after analyzing my audience, I realized that they would quickly refute the idea of medical marijuana since the stigma surrounding it is so strong. My target audience is people who are neither for or against opioid use, or people who may not know where they stand on the issue. In my Definition Argument, I described a drug that would be an effective painkiller like opioids, but without the rush of euphoria. I introduced the idea of an unnamed alternative so my audience will not immediately reject the idea of medical marijuana. My rhetoric includes logos since so many studies and trials done about opioid use, and pathos because people are dying because of opioids.

Core Value 4: 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.

There were a few times throughout my research where I used the Professor’s idea to look at the citation of one article to find more sources, and I evaluated all of my sources by checking to see if they were peer-reviewed. The reason I centered my research paper around opioid use was because it has affected my personal life, and I wanted to know about what was being done about the opioid crisis. Before writing my Causal Essay, I thought about how common all prescription drugs are, which led me to look closer into the pharmaceutical industry. In my causal argument, I used my sources to support my idea that the pharmaceutical industry’s refutation of alternative treatment is due to the dependence patients develop while on the drug, which ensures never-ending profit.

Core Value 5. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

My research has changed my view on opioids, and I respect the compelling reasons both sides of the opioid debate have. By including an Annotated Bibliography, I demonstrate that I respect the opinions of others and that I’d never claim someone else’s work as mine. In my rebuttal, I acknowledge that the solution to the opioid crisis can only be a compromise because the consequences of too many or too little opioids will be deadly. I was honest with my audience and used logic to encourage them to form their own opinion while reading my essays. In the introduction to my Rebuttal, I talked about how medicine is always being improved and yet nothing has changed in opioid therapy. I began my essay with this to get my audience thinking.

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Self Reflective – carsonwentz1186

Posted on April 24, 2021 by Chris McGee

Core Value 1. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

This is the first writing class where I have ever really done any serious revision to my work. Professor was gracious and generous enough to give his time to give me recommendations on how to better my work and all I had to do was take them and implement them to the best of my ability. I spent quite some time looking through various sources to use in my paper and I am happy to say I came out with a wide variety of sources to use. I feel that I used this value the best in my Definition Argument as I spent the most time looking through professor’s notes and comments and added two new academic sources to the paper.

Core Value 2. My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

This is something I feel I improved a lot on from my time in the class from beginning to end. Trying to relate different types of sources to one another from all different areas of writing and real life situations is not easy as some sources can be more official and formal than others. I feel I did the best job of this is my Definition Argument and my Causal Argument as in both I connected two different styles of sources and two different types of content as I was able to connect the struggle of large corporations and their salary rifts to how players in an NFL locker room would handle a Quarterback being paid tons of money that could also go to them.

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

Throughout my three essays I felt that I was successful in addressing the purpose of certain sources and the audiences they were intended for through my wording of citations and phrases. I feel I was the most effective using this core value for my Causal Argument with the use of more casual resources intended for the general public. For example, Bleacher Report released an article detailing how the Seahawks were able to manipulate the cap to help them achieve the goal of winning the super bowl through roster construction, and through the use of tone such as my frank reference toward the Percy Harvin situation “Harvin only played one game the entire season, which was the Super Bowl” really helped emphasize the overall point of the source.

Core Value 4: 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.

Through all three of my argumentative essays, I felt like I supported my ideas and opinions very well with the sources I used. My Definition Essay was the most effective for me I felt because I used both academic and main media outlet sources to support my ideas effectively. For example, the second paragraph of my Definition Essay contained my overall thesis and hypothesis, and I was able to successfully back it up with the results of a study done by a student at Claremont McKenna College on the correlation between the overcompensation of players and lack of team success resulting from that. Later in my essay I would then connect an academic and casual source to the same point of the Seahawks being the outlier from the common misconception of overpaying the Quarterback to succeed.

Core Value 5. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

I feel as though I was very successful in all three of my argumentative essays in representing ideas fairly. This is something I have never really struggled with in all my years of writing, however each year it became increasingly difficult to find a preferred form of citation that would fit in most essays I would be writing. This semester made it easy to be effective in doing so as I was not constantly trying to figure out how to fit in a parenthetical citation, and I could just cite a source just like I was writing any regular sentence in the middle of an essay. For example, a citation in my Definition Argument was “An article released in the Baltimore Sun written by Blanca Torres…”

Posted in carsonwentz1186, Portfolio CarsonWentz, Reflective | 1 Comment

Causal – capched

Posted on April 24, 2021 by capched

Why police Brutality?

Social media can influence people in many different ways, highlighting how police officers attack innocent minorities on a daily basis. But not all police officers are the same. It’s weird to see that some police officers abuse their power while others don’t. If that is the case, then there is something going on to make police officers act brutal towards people. There are times where police officers would help give rides for people who are far from their destination all from the kindness of their heart. So where is the disconnection? Police brutality is caused by the improper training that officers receive and also caused by their lack of judgement depending on the situation. 

Speculations of police training being faulty has caused some people to look for the reason why their training is the way it is. Police brutality is not something that these officers just randomly do, it is learned. “The academy did not teach us the fundamental difference between power and authority or how to judiciously apply either” (Smith). These are words from the mouth of a former police officer who was in the force for about 18 years. This tells us that the training police officers go through doesn’t even include learning how to use their power properly and that is the main part of being a police officer. Not knowing how to use one’s power basically means that person is unqualified to wield that power. Police officers are only mostly taught the basics of their job which are driving, writing reports, using a weapon, and self defense. People on social media want the police programs to train their officers on how to be able to deescalate a situation without the use of unnecessary force. 

Some police officers act brutal just for the fun of it. At a certain point, the former 18 year officer “began to feel less like a cop and more like a member of an occupying army. One summer, I arrested a man on the Fourth of July. I don’t remember why I arrested him, but I can remember taunting him about having his freedom taken away on Independence Day. That was funny to me at the time” (Smith). This is the reason why people want reformations in police training. They don’t want incidents like this to be happening. It isn’t right for a police officer to be making a joke like that towards a victim. Feeling like an occupying army member just shows that the officer’s method of interacting with the public is not acceptable, yet they continue to keep up the act anyway. “The other members of my unit used the same tactics, and as a group we pretty much just bullied our designated patrol area” (Smith). Police officers would just bully their way to get what they want in life and it’s sad because people aren’t able to do anything about it because they would be threatened with arrest; no one wants to get arrested. People would often speak up about their personal encounters with police but no type of consequence would be given to them.

Social media has been calling for police academy reformations because people believe that there is something wrong with the police training. They believe that their training isn’t thorough enough for them to be out in the real world. “Defund The Police” has been a trending topic that people discuss throughout social media and on the news. When some people hear about defunding the police they think that it means removing the police force altogether, but that isn’t the case. “Defunding the police doesn’t mean that the police force will be entirely gone, points out @Carrujo” (Miller). Defunding the police means to take down the current system that we have and reform it so it is better than how it was before. The training would cover areas of how to handle human interaction and how to make better judgement calls when dealing with victims. Many people are upset with the current system of police because they receive money but they don’t put it towards better training programs and instead waste it on other pointless stuff like coffee makers or video game rooms.  

The type of training that police officers have is really surprising to the world. According to the article The Culture of Policing is Broken by The Atlantic, the recruits are constantly told that the world is threatening, which is basically telling the officers to always stay on guard. It’s brainwashing the officers to treat everything as a threat even during situations where that kind of behavior isn’t needed. This could be the source as to why some police officers are constantly hostile. They are trained to think and behave that way. Police officers are also introduced to new ways of using their power for their own personal needs. “I became an internal affairs detective in 2013 and became privy to other, more nefarious ways cops used and abused their power. It was a common problem for cops to stalk former romantic partners” (Smith). This shows that police brutality is being taught everywhere and not just at the academy. As people climb higher ranks, they gain access to different tactics/methods for abuse on the people. This needs to stop before it gets worse to the point where there’s nothing anyone can do about it. 

 As I said earlier, “Police brutality is not something that these officers just randomly do, it is learned.” 

In conclusion, police brutality isn’t acceptable and people will not tolerate its continuity. 

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a32803268/defund-the-police-meaning-instagram/

https://gen.medium.com/i-was-a-cop-for-18-years-i-witnessed-and-participated-in-abuses-of-power-8d057c18f9ee

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/how-police-brutality-gets-made/613030/

Posted in capched, Causal Argument, Portfolio Capched | 8 Comments

Reflective-RowanRat

Posted on April 23, 2021 by rowanrat

Core Value 1: Writing is a practice that involves a multi-stage, recursive and social process.

This is a class unlike any other that I’ve experienced. Rather than an accumulation of a bunch of assignments, this course was a process. However, writing the papers is just the beginning. After posting my work, I would receive feedback. I will be honest and admit that I did not rewrite as many as I would have liked due to time constraints. That does not mean, though, that the feedback did not help me in any shape or form. I was able to take the feedback, analyze it, and put the advice into my toolbox. That made me a better writer for my future papers. White paper contains this core value. Through using white paper, I wrote several essays that all pertained to my topic that I chose in the beginning of the semester.

Core Value 2: Close and critical reading/analysis is necessary for listening to and questioning texts, arriving at a thoughtful understanding of those texts, and joining the academic and/or public conversations represented by those texts.

Prior to this class, I have definitely learned from my mistakes. You can’t put little effort into the readings and expect to write a decent paper. I have exceeded my goal when it comes to critically reading and analyzing each piece of writing that I used to put together my assignments. While it may be tedious to read through countless articles to get the information you need, it is worth it in the end. Not only was I able to complete my papers with a thorough understanding of the material, I learned a great deal about my topic and surrounding topics. Further, reading the materials clearly for when it comes to class discussions was essential for me. I was able to listen and fully engage in the class discussions regarding certain readings that made for an entertaining and educational conversation. The stone money assignment contains this core value. If I were to have read it with little to no engagement, I would have been terribly confused. In order to fully understand the text to complete my assignment, I had to critically read and analyze the article. https://wordpress.com/post/rucomp2.com/13225 

Core Value 3: Writing is shaped by audience, purpose, and context.

One of the most important things that I’ve learned is that the audience is the most important part of any paper you write. In order to write a substantial piece of writing, you must know your target audience. I always viewed this as sales. To be most successful in selling your product, you must make it appealing to your audience. Knowing this, I have been able to create my purpose for the paper. I know what I need to get across, and then I need to know how to get it across. In this class I’ve learned a lot about the structure of a persuasive paper and I feel that I am more successful in my writing now that I have these general concepts down. The rebuttal assignment contains this core value. I took information from multiple sources holding different views. I had to be persuasive to prove that my views were correct and the opponents’ were not in a respectful manner.

https://wordpress.com/post/rucomp2.com/14699

Core Value 4: Information literacy is essential to the practice of writing.

It is all about the details. Paying close attention to every detail is essential when attempting to understand any type of material. In this class, I have learned to look at every piece of information through multiple points of view. More often than not, there are more meanings in videos and writing than you would think. The visual rhetoric assignment contains this core value. By looking close into each second of the video, I was able to understand everything. This may sound broad, but let me explain. I was able to understand the setting, characters, facial and body expressions, props, etc… All of these components brought the work together. 

https://wordpress.com/post/rucomp2.com/13936

Core Value 5: Writing has power and comes with ethical responsibilities.

Of course in every class it is known that you must cite your work. However, in this class, this was taken much more seriously. I’ve learned to cite my work in my writing, as well as at the end providing a full citation. It is important to give credit to those who provided you with information for your work. Otherwise, it is stealing, and that is highly illegal and disrespectful. I’ve also learned that you do not own your ideas. Most of your ideas come from elsewhere, and so it is my responsibility to give as much credit as possible. If it weren’t for the work of others, I would not have been able to create my work in this class, and any class for that matter. The annotated bibliography assignment contains this core value. I provided the citation for the article that I used and stated how I used it. 

https://wordpress.com/post/rucomp2.com/15040

Posted in Portfolio RowanRat, Portfolios FA20, Reflective, rowanrat | 2 Comments

Bibliography-RowanRat

Posted on April 23, 2021 by rowanrat

Source 1

Additional informationNotes on contributorsMichael ViegaMichael Viega. (n.d.). What’s in a song? Combining analytical and arts-based analysis for songs created by songwriters with neurodisabilities. Retrieved March 06, 2021, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08098131.2016.1205651

Background:

This is an article that includes a deep analysis for songs created by artists with mental illnesses. The article goes into the concept of music therapy and how it can help understand an artist’s self-concept and rehabilitative needs. 

How I used it: 

This was another article that I used to prove how one is able to see the artists’ issues in the lyrics of their music. I also used this article to advocate for music therapy and how it can really help somebody who is suffering from mental illness.

Source 2

American music Therapy association. (n.d.). Retrieved March 08, 2021, from https://www.musictherapy.org/about/musictherapy/

Background:

This article explains what music therapy is. It also describes the benefits of going to music therapy and how it can help those with mental illness. This article breaks down several topics including definitions, frequently asked questions, music therapy with specific populations, personal stories, history, music therapy around the world, and music therapy in the media.

How I used it:

I used this article to explain that not only is music therapy beneficial for the clinician to better understand their patient, it is also helpful for the patient to let go of these emotions as well as receiving the help they need at the same time. I included the activities of music therapy which are singing, dancing, creating music, or listening to music. By doing so, patients are able to express their feelings in a creative and entertaining way. 

Source 3

An interview with The Singer-songwriter and mental Health Advocate, X.ARI! (n.d.). Retrieved March 06, 2021, from https://music.allaccess.com/an-interview-with-the-singer-songwriter-and-mental-health-advocate-x-ari/

Background: 

This is an interview with the artist, X. Ari who is a mental health advocate and discusses her mental illness.

How I used it:

This interview gave me further evidence that proved my hypothesis. This is an artist who suffers from mental illness and has written lyrics that reflect her illnesses such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, and insomnia. This article has also proven how music is used as an outlet for artists including X. Ari.

Source 4

Armitage, D., & Doughty, B. (2020, November 03). Stress and our mental health – what is the

 impact & How can we tackle it? Retrieved April 03, 2021, from   https://www.mqmentalhealth.org/stress-and-mental-health/?lang=en_us#:~:text=This%20long%2Dterm%20stress%20can,conditions%20like%20anxiety%20or%20depression.

Background:

This article discusses the fight or flight phenomenon, long-term stress, biology of mental health and stress, the immune system, stress and PTSD, hope for the future, and ways to help. 

How I used it:

I used this article to explain mental health further and the effects that life situations have on mental health and vice versa. This helped me have a better understanding on direct influences that contribute to one’s mental health.

Source 5

Chan, A. (2020, May 04). Musicians who have opened up about their mental health struggles. Retrieved March 06, 2021, from https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9367924/musicians-mental-health-struggles/

Background:

This article discusses mental illness amongst popular musicians. It consists of a breakdown of artists and their diagnosed mental illness as well as statements from each of the artists.

How I used it: 

This article helped me understand how there are more artists diagnosed with mental illness than I originally thought. It also helped me understand how music has both helped these artists through their illness. I used it to explain how there are many artists who have used music as an outlet and their disorders may reflect in their music. By having a breakdown of each of the artists, I was able to do a deep analysis of themselves, their illness, and their music.

Source 6

How talking helps. (n.d.). Retrieved April 03, 2021, from

 http://www.valueoptions.com/solutions/2011/11-November/story5.htm

Background:

This article explains the benefits of communication from a psychologist’s perspective. Talking is cathartic, it makes you feel better, and leads to new solutions.

How I used it:

I used this article to explain how if somebody is experiencing mental illness, they are already experiencing a great deal of negative emotion. By keeping those feelings inside, those emotions continue to get stronger and create more stress. This article provides evidence supporting that using communication is beneficial for those experiencing mental illness.

Source 7

Landau, E. (2013, August 23). When patients have ‘music emergencies’. Retrieved March 08, 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/23/health/music-therapy

Background:

This article speaks about Brian Jantz who is a music therapist. Jantz uses music therapy in intensive care units for children. This idea is to use music to help patients.

How I used it:

I didn’t directly use this article in my writing but it allowed me to understand music therapy and how it has a direct impact on one’s mental health. Music has drastically improved the patients’ mood and gives me a better idea of how music also helps musicians with their issues.

Source 8

Mental illness and CREATIVITY: Singer songwriter Meg Hutchinson on bipolar disorder and medications. (2019, August 12). Retrieved March 06, 2021, from https://talentdevelop.com/3949/mental-illness-and-creativity-singer-songwriter-meg-hutchinson-on-bipolar-disorder-and-medications/

Background:

This is an interview with Meg Hutchinson and her experience with mental illness along with how it affects her music. 

How I used it:

This interview allowed me to get a look inside of Hutchinson’s mind and how her music was affected by her mental illness. I used this article as an example to prove how music does reflect one’s personal emotions. Thereby proving my hypothesis.

Source 9

Raypole, C. (2020, February 17). Why should i go to therapy? 8 signs it’s time to see a therapist.

 Retrieved April 03, 2021, from https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/why-should-i-go-to-therapy-8-signs-its-time-to-see-a-therapist-0118197#:~:text=A%20therapist%20can%20help%20support,it%2C%20and%20how%20to%20cope.

Background:

This article explains what therapy is, the processes of therapy, and the benefits of going to therapy. It also discusses reasons that one may need to go to therapy.

How I used it:

I used this article to explain that by using communication and speaking to a therapist, you are putting yourself on the right track for self improvement. When analyzing mental illness, it is understood that talking about your issues and seeking help is essential. Therapy is an excellent option, and I express that in my writing. 

Source 10

What is mental health? (n.d.). Retrieved April 03, 2021, fromhttps://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health

Background:

This article explains what mental health is, early warning signs, and mental health and wellness.  Provides an abundance of information that people should know about mental illness and maintaining good mental wellbeing.

How I used it:

I use this article in the beginning of my paper to allow the readers an understanding of what mental health is and how having good mental health will enable you to perform well in day-to-day life. I then use this information when discussing the interview I conducted with another student about how mental illness affects one’s academics, sleep, and bodily health.

Source 11

/* custom css */.tdi_98_160 .tdb-author-name-wrap{ align-items: baseline; }.tdi_98_160 .avatar{ width: 20px; height: 20px; margin-right: 6px;, Bartleet, L., By, & Bartleet, L. (2020, December 08). 50 songs about depression. Retrieved March 06, 2021, from https://www.nme.com/list/50-songs-about-depression-1109

Background:

This article consists of a list of songs by artists about depression. This article contained the songwriter, songs, song descriptions, and song lyrics. 

How I used it:

I used this article as a starting point for my research. I looked through the list and did research on each of the artists. When doing this research, I looked to see if the artists suffered from mental illness. By doing so, I was able to understand the artist’s lyrics more from an understanding of their personal issues. This further proved my hypothesis.

Posted in Bibliography, Portfolio RowanRat, rowanrat | 1 Comment

Definition Rewrite – capched

Posted on April 23, 2021 by capched

Needs a Title

There are many systems set into place to serve and protect the people, though more of these collective systems are the ones dividing people apart. Police brutality is one of the many systems that contribute to the division of the people. Police brutality is when officers use unreasonable and excessive force to subdue victims/people. Police officers violate basic human rights which were often concealed in the past, however social media has brought a rise to this ongoing dilemma. Social media has allowed the public to pay more attention to police brutality, as a result more police are being held accountable for their actions. Therefore, it is bringing on a greater call for change within our criminal justice system. 

Moreover, The advancement of social media has blown up excessively compared to past usage. Millions of people log on everyday to view the latest posts, news, or trending topics that are occuring  in the world. When the incident of George Floyd took place , the video was shared everywhere throughout social media. It had become a trending topic for weeks. People were disgusted by the explicit content seen in the video and outraged that a police officer would conduct himself in such a way. The incident  sparked a lot of tension and it was an eye opener to see how police officers really treated people. To some people, it was their first time ever seeing something so profound. 

Police brutality was always an issue, but it was not always made publicly because some police officers would try to cover up the incidents. Some officers would end up turning off their cameras to hide what they were  doing because they knew  that if other people saw , they would be punished accordingly. This is where police officers start to abuse their power. The police officers start to have the mindset that they can do anything and wouldn’t receive any consequences for their actions. This makes it a dangerous game because police officers think they are entitled to do whatever  they want and afterwards  quickly change up the story to save their reputation. For example, in June 2018, Samuel Scott was arrested by the Miami Police for a call that police had received claiming that Scott’s car was stolen. Scott was the one that had made the call and the police thought that he was one who stole it. The car had got into a collision and the police believed that Scott had filed a false report. The description of the person matched  Scott,  so  they took him into custody. Police had confiscated some of Scott’s belongings in the beginning, but when he filed a motion to retrieve them back, they weren’t able to because there was no record of it being confiscated. “The body camera video obtained by the NBC 6 Investigators should be able to help track what happened to the items, but after Guzman handled the wallet and cellphone, he is seen reaching up to the camera and turning it off without explaining why. It remained off for several minutes. ‘It all seemed very suspicious. To this date, we don’t really know what the answer is or why the officer even turned it (his body camera) off in the first place,’ Pepper said adding body cameras are a ‘good tool’ to make sure officers follow the department’s rules and procedures” (Connie). The officer purposely turned off his camera most likely  because he knew his actions were problematic  and did  not follow the code of conduct. Many police officers tend to do this and it should be recognized rather than ignored. The officer was disciplined by the police department as  stated, but they did not  state what the discipline was. Imagine what could have happened during the time period of the camera not being on. The officer could have harassed Scott and many other altercations may have occurred but there is no evidence to prove the event. Now it is mandatory by law that all officers have their cameras on at all times when confronting a situation.

In the case of Philando Castile, he was shot and killed during a traffic stop after an officer had found out that Castile had a gun. He told officers about the gun and they continued to be hostile with him. People are allowed to have possession of a firearm as long as they have a permit for it which Castile had. The police department described the officer to be scared and nervous and it caused him to pull the trigger. It is  not understandable why the officer would continue to pull the trigger. “He said he’d made hundreds of traffic stops in which the drivers informed him they were carrying firearms. Those stops ended safely ‘100 percent of the time’ because the drivers kept their hands in view and told him when they were reaching for their wallets or other objects, he said” (Croft). If the officer had these encounters before and handled them perfectly and safely, why couldn’t he do the same for Castile? Was it because of his race? Philando Castile’s girlfriend had recorded the incident and posted to social media, and people immediately got upset at what was being shown throughout the video.. The police officer was found  not guilty of the murder of Castile, but was removed from the police force because “the public will be best served if Officer Yanez is no longer a police officer in our city” (Kennedy). Protests were formed in the streets of Minnetsota as people were outraged by the murder and the outcome of the verdict. When will it ever stop? 

People tend to view police officers  in a negative way based  on past encounters and senseless murders that have occurred.. Many people are afraid to call the police for help even when they are in a situation that requires aid from them. The fear of someone being falsely accused and possibly murder makes society uneasy about police help. Police brutality impacts many urban neighborhoods, minorities, and young adults. It has made  people in certain communities  lose trust and hope in their offerings to society.. When an officer drives around a neighborhood, people would often adjust their behavior and stay on high alert because most of the time they feel like the cops are not on their side. With that being said, there is a lot of distrust and disconnect between communities and police.

 Needs the word “References” centered without quotation marks
to comply with APA notation.

https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/20/us/philando-castile-shooting-dashcam/index.html

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/16/532783821/minnesota-police-officer-found-not-guilty-in-shooting-death-of-philando-castile

Posted in Definition Rewrite | 2 Comments

Definition – capched

Posted on April 23, 2021 by capched

There are many systems set into place to serve and protect the people, though more of these collective systems are the ones dividing people apart. Police brutality is one of the many systems that contribute to the division of the people. Police brutality is when officers use unreasonable and excessive force to subdue victims/people. Police officers violate basic human rights which were often concealed in the past, however social media has brought a rise to this ongoing dilemma. Social media has allowed the public to pay more attention to police brutality, as a result more police are being held accountable for their actions. Therefore, it is bringing on a greater call for change within our criminal justice system. 

Moreover, The advancement of social media has blown up excessively compared to past usage. Millions of people log on everyday to view the latest posts, news, or trending topics that are occuring  in the world. When the incident of George Floyd took place , the video was shared everywhere throughout social media. It had become a trending topic for weeks. People were disgusted by the explicit content seen in the video and outraged that a police officer would conduct himself in such a way. The incident  sparked a lot of tension and it was an eye opener to see how police officers really treated people. To some people, it was their first time ever seeing something so profound. 

Police brutality was always an issue, but it was not always made publicly because some police officers would try to cover up the incidents. Some officers would end up turning off their cameras to hide what they were  doing because they knew  that if other people saw , they would be punished accordingly. This is where police officers start to abuse their power. The police officers start to have the mindset that they can do anything and wouldn’t receive any consequences for their actions. This makes it a dangerous game because police officers think they are entitled to do whatever  they want and afterwards  quickly change up the story to save their reputation . For example, in June 2018, Samuel Scott was arrested by the Miami Police for a call that police had received claiming that Scott’s car was stolen. Scott was the one that had made the call and the police thought that he was one who stole it. The car had got into a collision and the police believed that Scott had filed a false report. The description of the person matched  Scott,  so  they took him into custody. Police had confiscated some of Scott’s belongings in the beginning, but when he filed a motion to retrieve them back, they weren’t able to because there was no record of it being confiscated. “The body camera video obtained by the NBC 6 Investigators should be able to help track what happened to the items, but after Guzman handled the wallet and cellphone, he is seen reaching up to the camera and turning it off without explaining why. It remained off for several minutes. ‘It all seemed very suspicious. To this date, we don’t really know what the answer is or why the officer even turned it (his body camera) off in the first place,’ Pepper said adding body cameras are a ‘good tool’ to make sure officers follow the department’s rules and procedures” (Connie). The officer purposely turned off his camera most likely  because he knew his actions were problematic  and did  not follow the code of conduct. Many police officers tend to do this and it should be recognized rather than ignored. The officer was disciplined by the police department as  stated, but they did not  state what the discipline was. Imagine what could have happened during the time period of the camera not being on. The officer could have harassed Scott and many other altercations may have occurred but there is no evidence to prove the event. Now it is mandatory by law that all officers have their cameras on at all times when confronting a situation.

In the case of Philando Castile, he was shot and killed during a traffic stop after an officer had found out that Castile had a gun. He told officers about the gun and they continued to be hostile with him. People are allowed to have possession of a firearm as long as they have a permit for it which Castile had. The police department described the officer to be scared and nervous and it caused him to pull the trigger. It is  not understandable why the officer would continue to pull the trigger. “He said he’d made hundreds of traffic stops in which the drivers informed him they were carrying firearms. Those stops ended safely ‘100 percent of the time’ because the drivers kept their hands in view and told him when they were reaching for their wallets or other objects, he said” (Croft). If the officer had these encounters before and handled them perfectly and safely, why couldn’t he do the same for Castile? Was it because of his race? Philando Castile’s girlfriend had recorded the incident and posted to social media, and people immediately got upset at what was being shown throughout the video.. The police officer was found  not guilty of the murder of Castile, but was removed from the police force because “the public will be best served if Officer Yanez is no longer a police officer in our city” (Kennedy). Protests were formed in the streets of Minnetsota as people were outraged by the murder and the outcome of the verdict. When will it ever stop? 

People tend to view police officers  in a negative way based  on past encounters and senseless murders that have occurred.. Many people are afraid to call the police for help even when they are in a situation that requires aid from them. The fear of someone being falsely accused and possibly murder makes society uneasy about police help. Police brutality impacts many urban neighborhoods, minorities, and young adults. It has made  people in certain communities  lose trust and hope in their offerings to society.. When an officer drives around a neighborhood, people would often adjust their behavior and stay on high alert because most of the time they feel like the cops are not on their side. With that being said, there is a lot of distrust and disconnect between communities and police. 

https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/20/us/philando-castile-shooting-dashcam/index.html

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/16/532783821/minnesota-police-officer-found-not-guilty-in-shooting-death-of-philando-castile

Posted in capched, Definition Categorical | Leave a comment

Research Position Paper- person345

Posted on April 22, 2021 by person345

The Dangers of Travel Deprivation

The Coronavirus or COVID-19 is a newly discovered virus that is wreaking havoc around the world. In January of this year, 800,000 new cases have been reported in the United States and 117 million globally. Cases are continuing to rise at an increasing rate. When the Coronavirus was declared a worldwide Pandemic in March of last year, countries around the world took necessary precautions by closing their borders to stop the spread. Just last year, the United States banned travel to and from China (where the virus originated from). As a result, 90% of the world has been locked down and are required to stay socially distant. As of today, some of the lock downs imposed have been lifted. However, we still cannot travel freely and some are still being deprived the right to travel freely. The consequences of these lockdowns and the restrictions on free travel are devastating to every human on Earth.

This has dramatically reduced travel. The high-volume shutdowns that are in effect forced people to not travel since airlines suspended all services domestic and international. People are now required to stay home and quarantine themselves.

 When people travel, they expect to gain satisfaction. It serves as an escape from their busy and stressful lives. There are different levels of satisfaction when traveling. In a journal article titled “Health and Wellness Benefits of Travel Experiences A Literature Review,” two researchers named Chun-Chu Chen from Washington State University and James Patrick from Texas A & M analyzed the emotions that a person feels during a vacation and they put them into four stages. Chen and Patrick named These stages: The Stages of Travel.

However, when people are getting denied the ability to travel for an intensive period, the opposite effects of the Stages of Travel occur. Instead of getting the benefits of travel such as happiness and satisfaction, they are feeling the opposite. A person’s satisfaction decreases throughout the process. These parallel stages are called the The Stages of Denial of Travel.

Not allowing people to leave their homes has devastating effects on one’s mental state. An article titled “The Psychological Impact of Quarantine and How to Reduce it: Rapid Review of the Evidence” written by multiple doctors and practitioners explains these effects. According to this article, quarantining within your home for an extensive period can contribute to psychological disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), insomnia, and anxiety. This is because people are unable to be in close contact with one another and socialize which contributes to even more effects such as loneliness and irritability. These factors are reflected in the Stages for the Denial of Travel. Since people are unable to travel and escape the stresses of life, they are confined in their homes without any physical interaction with other people.

When humans go on a vacation, he or she goes through and experiences four stages of travel. Most of the time, people start to experience these stages way before the vacation even begins. Before vacation, a person is in the Anticipation stage. During this stage, people are generally happier because of the excitement and anticipation of going on a vacation to enjoy themselves for a couple of days. People also look forward to making memories and experience positive feelings while on their getaway.

The second stage of this process is called the experience stage. During the experience stage, a person is on the vacation enjoying themselves and making those memories they were excited about making. This increases satisfaction and carries over into the next stages of the Stages of Travel.

The third Stage of Travel is the Beneficial Stage which happens during and after vacation. Satisfaction is at its highest point during this stage.  Eventually, people begin to reflect on their experiences, and they carry over to when they return home. Those experiences are shared with others. The person who went on the vacation has high satisfaction and wants others to know all about their trip.

Then during the Fade-Out stage, the happiness and satisfaction gained from their travel experience starts to diminish and they return to their normal lives like going back to work and returning to school.

People rely on travelling for pleasure and satisfaction. Depriving them of those characteristics can have devastating effects on their mental health. Because of the worldwide shutdown of travel due to the Pandemic, many people are not gaining that happiness from going on a vacation. Instead, they are going through the opposite. These feelings are explained by The Stages of Denial of Travel. Satisfaction and happiness decrease throughout the stages of Denial of Travel. In the first stage, also known as the Fear stage, happiness starts to decrease because of the fear and growing anxiety of contracting the Coronavirus.

The next stage is known as the Negative Experience Stage The effects of this period have the opposite effect than the Experience Stage in the Stages of Travel. In this stage, people are fully experiencing what it is like to not have any close contact with others. They often deal with anxiety and boredom because they cannot leave their homes and be in physical contact with their friends and family.

 The third stage is the Harmful Stage. During the Harmful Stage, the negative effects, and consequences of the deprivation of travel come into effect. Sadness or the opposite of satisfaction is at its highest point here. The negative effects described earlier such as loneliness, Post Traumatic Stress Order, and anxiety take hold and begin to develop during this stage. Happiness and satisfaction are at their lowest during this. People begin to reflect their feelings and overall experiences of staying quarantined for a long period of time.

 The final stage of this process is the Fade In stage. During the Fade In stage, the anticipation of returning to normalcy and traveling increases satisfaction and happiness. When people are excited about finally traveling again after a long period of being isolated from the rest of the world, the negative consequences from the previous stages begin to fade away. People are finally looking forward to resuming their regular lives by being able to travel and congregate in person.

The Stages of the Denial of Travel reflect what the majority of people are going through especially during this current Pandemic. People are longing for a sense of normalcy so that they could leave their homes and travel at last. It is evident from Chun-Chu Chen and James Patrick’s Four Stages of Travel that travelling or going on a vacation is an important factor for psychological benefits. Taking away something that has many psychological benefits could eventually damage the human psyche.

Being locked down and unable to leave our is detrimental to our mental health and potentially the people around us. Over this past year, we have seen increased rates of violence and protests firsthand in America that quarantining, and isolation can have on us humans. It wears us down emotionally and it brings the longing desire for changes that must be made to stop the spread of the Coronavirus. We want someone to blame for taking away our freedoms of interacting with others and going out. The Stages of the Denial of Travel supports the idea that people are angry and tend to lash out their anger onto others.  

During this Pandemic, it is evident that enforced isolation or quarantine increases the rate of domestic abuse. A study conducted by Sabrine Sediri and others focused on the effects of how two Tunisian Women delt with being isolated for a period. Domestic violence nearly tripled with women being quarantined and isolated with their abusers. This higher rate of the abuse of women is linked to anxiety, depression, and stress because of the lockdowns and people’s inability to leave their houses. We are tired of being required to stay home and isolate from our friends and family. Constantly feeling angry and anxious is not healthy for our mental health and will contribute to irrational behaviors such as hurting a loved one physically or verbally.

 Since Covid-19 came from mainland China; more specifically Wuhan, it is evident that people are becoming Xenophobic towards Asians because of the fear of contracting the disease. We tend to act irrationally in these types of situations and do things that any rational person would not do. This is all part of human nature. According to studies done by Angela R. Gover, Shannon B. Harper, and Lynn Langston, there has been a rise of hate crime towards Asian Americans in the United States. Gover and the other contributors state in their research that social media has been a place where Hate Crime towards Asians has spread and where it is exposed. There has always been some sort of Xenophobia towards Asians historically in the United States, but with the Coronavirus originating in China, that hate and violence towards Asians have increased.  An example of such Xenophobia in the United States that was included in this academic journal was when a someone assaulted a Korean woman in midtown Manhattan on March 10th. This person was pulling on her hair and later punched her in the face yelling: “You’ve got coronavirus, you Asian (****)” and “Where’s your (****) mask. These verbal and physical assaults towards Asian Americans are how people are reacting to being isolated. Violence is their way of lashing out and scapegoating others.

This source also discusses the fact that former President Trump kept calling the virus “the Chinese virus”. Trump provoked Xenophobia towards Chinese and Asian Americans and pointed the blame right to China for creating the virus and allowing it to spread all over the world. Also, Trump blamed China for businesses leaving the United States and then he banned all travel to and from China because of the spread of Covid. President Trump’s claims and actions towards China fuels Xenophobia of Asians. He is painting targets on their backs which allows his supporters to point the blame by any means necessary. No one in this situation knows who to blame. Asians are being scapegoated because an authority of power is saying so. To find satisfaction, we listen to anyone that makes us feel any better about the situation, even if they are right or wrong.

People’s wishes for change are more apparent now than ever before. Just alone in 2020, we have seen riots, social movements, constant protests etc. and all during a worldwide Pandemic which isolated people from each other. This year on January 6th, 2021, pro Trump protesters stormed the capital building in Washington, DC for their hopes to overturn the 2020 election. Something like this has never been seen before in modern US history not since the Civil War. This all connects back to the Coronavirus. Because millions of Americans cannot escape to enjoy themselves and that they are socially distant, they want change. The virus is a “straw the broke the camel’s back” in this situation. Many Trump supporters and Republicans alike were outraged when Donald Trump lost the election. All the anxiety and stress they had to endure that past year pushed many to storm the capital that day. They were tired of sitting idle for so long. Sparking a revolution at the capital was a way to let their feelings all out from months of depression and anger.

Depriving a person of travel and the ability live a normal life has devastating effects on a country’s society. Us as humans are not made to sit idle in our homes for months on end. We thrive on social interactions and by taking away that factor, we are contributing to the increased rates of violence not just towards Asian Americans, but towards our loved ones as well. This as a result is why there is a rise of Xenophobia, revolutions, and hate crimes towards Asians. People use Asian Americans and others in power as a scapegoat for their terrible lives because they feel like they caused the problem. The truth is that we are all to blame for this disease that created misery upon the world.

Over the course of time, we have seen that going on a vacation is a healthy way for people to enjoy themselves and to escape their busy lives at home. It helps relieve stress and anxiety and overall, going on a vacation and travelling relaxes the mind and the body as shown in the Stages of Travel. However, it is obvious that travelling and going on a vacation also leads to some risks and other negative effects. Traveling in moderation is healthy, but it when we travel constantly in a short period of time is then these negative effects take hold.

When someone travels through multiple time zones in one flight, they experience what is called “Travel Fatigue.” An article titled, “The Stresses of Travel” by J Waterhouse, T Reilly, and B Edwards explains this. Travel fatigue can be caused by multiple factors. according to the article, Travel Fatigue is “Long-distance travel is associated with a group of transient negative effects, collectively referred to as ‘travel fatigue,’ which result from anxiety about the journey, the change to an individual’s daily routine, and dehydration due to time spent in the dry air of the aircraft cabin.”

For many people, travel is an escape from their daily routines and to enjoy themselves. When we travel, we feel exhilarated and excited to get to our destination. This positive disruptive change in our routine is healthy and benefits our mental health. It helps us escape the stress and anxiety of our regular lives. Going on a vacation and anticipating it blocks out many of the negatives of travel including Travel fatigue and others fears.

Many people also experience Jet Lag when crossing over many time zones. This impacts sleep because time is different across time zones. Jet Lag makes traveler sleep deprived since they cannot get enough sleep. People’s sleep schedules are messed up because of the time zone changes. In this sense, travelling constantly and crossing many different time zones wears down the body and the mind. Most of the time, travelling increases happiness and lowers anxiety and depression since they are escaping from all they hardships they are facing. Yeah, people may be always on the move and getting less than they are used to, but the benefits of travel outweigh even the slightest of negatives. Traveling is essential to both physical and mental health.

Another viewpoint that someone may take concerning travel is the rising chance of terrorism. Traveling anywhere in the world has its risks. An Article titled, “Tourism and the Globalization of Fear: Analyzing the Politics of Risk and (in)Security in Global Travel” written by Raoul Bianchi in 2006 expands upon this idea even further. Bianchi is a senior research fellow in the at the International Institute of Culture Terrorism and Development at London Metropolitan University. ” When people travel to places either nationally or internationally, there is chance of risks in security and terrorist attacks.  In the article, Bianchi adds,” Tourists have increasingly become the specific target of ‘terrorist ’violence”. This statement leads to the idea that travelling does in fact lead to more violence because terrorists in foreign nations are constantly targeting tourists from the United States and Europe as well. In these scenarios, it is safe to say that not being travel deprived increases violence but by terrorist groups not by the tourists themselves. It would be foolish to live in fear of violence for the rest of our lives. Violence will be a part of society forever and there is no real way around it. Travel benefits all and it makes people visit cool places to escape the stresses of their lives.

Lockdowns have made us anxious and unrestricted travel makes us fearful because of potential terrorist attacks. This is seen during the Covid Pandemic. We are anxious and depressed because we were not allowed to travel due to travel restrictions. As the time went on with some restrictions still in place, society shifted the blame towards others such as their governments and people.  When we are deprived of something, we feel trapped and seek a way forward.  The January 6th riots at the United States capital and the shootings of Asian Americans in Atlanta are the most recent examples. Americans at the capital stormed the building to overturn Joe Biden’s presidency. They felt threatened by Biden winning the election. Americans are targeting Asian Americans to blame China for the spread of the Coronavirus and other events. Those two events are the most damaging events we have seen due to governments depriving people their right to travel or go on a vacation. It is dangerous forcing people to stay home. From this past year, we have seen that slowing down travel has damaging effects on society. The benefit of allowing travel outweighs all dangers. Allowing travel runs the risk of getting killed or seriously injured in potential terrorist attacks. But not allowing people to travel sparks revolutions and even more violence. Placing limits does not make sense and is unreasonable.

References

  1. Bianchi, R. (2006). Tourism and the globalization of fear: Analyzing the politics of risk AND (IN)SECURITY in global travel – RAOUL Bianchi, 2006. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1057/palgrave.thr.6050028https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.952.5798&rep=rep1&type=pdf
  2. Brooks, S. K., Webster, R. K., Smith, L. E., Woodland, L., Wessely, S., Greenberg, N., & Rubin, G. J. (2020). The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce … Retrieved February 24, 2021, from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30460-8/fulltext
  3. Chen, C. (2013). Health and wellness benefits of travel experiences a literature Review. Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258161384_Health_and_Wellness_Benefits_of_Travel_Experiences_A_Literature_Review
  4. Ettema, D., & Timmermans, H. (2006, October 27). Costs of travel time uncertainty and benefits of travel time information: Conceptual model and numerical examples. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0968090X06000684
  5. Gover, A., Harper, S., & Langton, L. (2020, July 07). Anti-Asian hate crime during the COVID-19 pandemic: Exploring the reproduction of inequality. Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12103-020-09545-1
  6. JM;, T. (2020). Working in a pandemic: Exploring the impact of covid-19 health anxiety on work, family, and health outcomes. Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32969707/
  7. Ozdemir, M. (2020). (PDF) the novel Coronavirus Covid-19 crisis on Incoming … Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346937451_The_Novel_Coronavirus_Covid-19_Crisis_on_Incoming_Travel_Agencies_Current_Situation_and_Post-pandemic_Scenarios
  8. Sediri, S., Zgueb, Y., Ouanes, S., Ouali, U., Bourgou, S., Jomli, R., & Nacef, F. (2020, October 17). Women’s mental HEALTH: Acute impact of COVID-19 pandemic on domestic violence. Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00737-020-01082-4
  9. Seppo, E. (1983). Towards a social psychology of recreational travel. Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248996852_Towards_a_social_psychology_of_recreational_travel
  10. Waterhouse, J., Reilly, T., & Edwards, B. (2011). The stress of travel. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02640410400000264
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White Paper – capched

Posted on April 22, 2021 by capched

Working Hypothesis 1

  • The attention of police brutality has been heightened by social media during black lives matter.
  • New: social media has allowed the public to pay more attention to police brutality, as a result more police are being held accountable for their actions

Working Hypothesis 2

  • Police training needs revising as social media has exploited police officers and they’re true nature during black lives matter.
  • New: Social media is exploiting police officers on the job because they are not appropriately executing their job right by using unnecessary force

Academic Sources

Source 1. Friedersdorf, C. (2017, December 8). A Police Killing Without a Hint of Racism. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/12/a-police-killing-without-a-hint-of-racism/546983/. 

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/12/a-police-killing-without-a-hint-of-racism/546983/ 

Source 2. losangelestimes. (2017, December 8). Body-Cam Video Of Daniel Shaver Shooting | Los Angeles Times. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBUUx0jUKxc. 

  • Police officers have been killing people left and right. In this video, Daniel Shaver was shot and killed because he had complied with police instructions. The police had arrived at the scene due to a call claiming that Daniel Shaver had a gun. The gun was a pellet gun that he uses for work, but officers didn’t know that. Daniel was very compliant with the officers but the yelling and screaming may have gotten him scared. 
  • In situations like this, police officers should learn to control how they communicate with people because high emotions can lead to unexpected problems. Daniel Shaver was already a bit drunk so it added to his confusion of the situation. What is not understandable is that he didn’t have a weapon on him but officers still shot the man. 

Source 3. Smith, L. (2019, August 30). I Was a Cop for 18 Years. I Witnessed and Participated in Abuses of Power. Medium. https://gen.medium.com/i-was-a-cop-for-18-years-i-witnessed-and-participated-in-abuses-of-power-8d057c18f9ee. 

  • It’s surprising to see that a former police officer would admit to abusing their power while they were on duty. As the person stated, they didn’t have any training on how to use their power judiciously. They had to learn on the job and they made their own judgement during each situation. They were only taught the basics; driving, firearms training, report writing, and self-defense tactics. This person had arrested a man on Independence Day and had taunted the man about taking away his freedom. 
  • There’s no need for police to make statements like that when arresting someone. There was another incident where this former officer had threatened people with arrest if they didn’t move out of his way. This officer used his power on people just for the fun of it. When people have power, they often let that power get to their heads and it causes even greater problems.

Source 4. Dreyer, B. P., Trent, M., Anderson, A. T., Askew, G. L., Boyd, R., Coker, T. R., … Stein, F. (2020, September 1). The Death of George Floyd: Bending the Arc of History Toward Justice for Generations of Children. American Academy of Pediatrics. https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/146/3/e2020009639. 

  • The killing of George Floyd has sparked a lot of tension with people around the world. It helped spark movements globally to reform police training and call to awareness of black lives being killed at the hands of police. George Floyd tried using a counterfeit $20 bill and officers came to the scene and placed the man in handcuffs. They had also forced him on his stomach and former officer Derek Chauvin had placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for about 9 mins. Floyd claimed he couldn’t breathe, but the former officer had ignored him. This had resulted in George Floyd’s death. Chauvin seemed to didn’t care about Floyd’s life, otherwise he would’ve let up from his neck. Luckily someone had recorded the entire incident so that the world could also see what’s going on. 

Source 5. Mitchell, M. (2020, August 29). Don’t make 17-year-old Kenosha shooter a hero. Times. https://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/2020/8/28/21406302/kenosha-kyle-rittenhouse-no-hero-jacob-blake. 

  • It seems counterintuitive that the police officers didn’t get aggressive with Kyle Rittenhouse. Kyle Rittenhouse was a 17 year old boy who shot 2 people at the Kenosha protest in August 2020. After the shooting he had walked by police while carrying the semi-automatic gun and police had given him a water bottle. There wasn’t any dispute that happened between Rittenhouse and police during the night. The boy was in possession of a firearm illegally and was able to go home that night even after people told officers about what had happened. 
  • This had upsetted a lot of people because they felt like if a black man had done the same thing, the officers’ reaction would have been different. Eventually, Rittenhouse was charged for his crimes that he had committed. 

Source 6. Cuncic, A. (2021, January 17). The Psychology Behind Police Brutality. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/the-psychology-behind-police-brutality-5077410. 

Source 7. Brooks, D. (2020, June 16). The Culture of Policing Is Broken. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/how-police-brutality-gets-made/613030/. 

  • It seems counterintuitive to say that all officers aren’t found guilty of police brutality. There are a lot of policemen and women that work to actually protect people and not fight them. But there is something that makes police officers act the way they do. In their training they are told repeatedly that the world is threatening. A person standing 21 feet away who’s holding a knife can stab an officer before they get the chance to pull out their gun. A lot of police officers end up having PTSD due to the situations that they are put in. Officers are faced with a lot of pressure when dealing with certain situations. They fight to protect others but at the same also want to protect themselves too.

Definition

  • Police brutality is when people are violated of their basic rights by a police officer. Police officers would tend to use unnecessary excessive force to deal with people. Sometimes the excessive force isn’t needed, but some officers don’t understand that. Some officers feel like what they’re doing is the right way to handle certain situations.

Causal

  • Police brutality happens because some officers feel entitled to abuse their power. Police officers could sometimes feel threatened and want to reassure the victim that the officer has the power and the victim should respect that and not try anything funny. Some police officers may have PTSD and change their behavior depending on the person that they’re dealing with. Not all police officers just wake up and choose violence. They could probably be going through some problems in their life that make who they are.

Rebuttal

  • Police brutality happens because some victims may end up resisting and not corresponding smoothly with police officers’ demands.Some people could cause some officers to use excessive force because they may end up fleeing from the scene. Such as during a car chase. The victim is driving away while officers are chasing after them. Then once the chase is over, police officers may end up being aggressive so they can prevent the victim from fleeing again and putting other people’s lives in danger. Social media doesn’t really show this side of police officers. It mostly shows the negative actions police officers commit.

Current State of the Research

I feel very good about the progress I made so far. This is only the beginning and there’s more progress to be made. The paper sounds like it can be strong depending on how I go about writing it. After looking more into my topic I had uncovered some things that I had no idea about. My opinion on police has changed after doing research. I realized that they really do go through a lot and it changes their mentality at times. I anticipate my outcome to express my thoughts on social media and police brutality and to shine a light on some police officers.

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