Rebuttal-Justheretopass

Posted on April 11, 2021 by justheretopass

Is Online School Better?

Online school isn’t a new tool that was spontaneously created. “Many universities encourage faculty to develop online courses in order to address issues ranging from limited classroom and dormitory space to limited funds.” It’s been around for a while but the pandemic putting the world on hold, all of the school districts had no other choice but to go fully online. During that time teachers saw students grades improve drastically from being in person to them working from their home. Students were able to work from the comfort of their home and move at their own pace on assignments. Teachers in some classes saw grades rise for students that were uncommon. Most students’ grades drastically rose because of cheating and not having the teacher breathing down your neck on a test when you start to look around the classroom. “Before Covid-19 ProctorU, caught people cheating on fewer than 1 percent of the 340,000 exams it administered from January through March. During the height of remote testing, the company says, the number of exams it supervised jumped to 1.3 million from April through June, and the cheating rate rose above 8 percent.” Ninety-three percent of instructors think that students are more likely to cheat online than in person, hinting at why grades might increase significantly. 

Some colleges give tests to their students and don’t have a proctor to watch over them. Most kids would take that as a treat and use their notes, and the internet. In person school is a better option than online classes for this reason. Students in online classes tend to be more lazier on assignments which is why they resort to cheating. If students didn’t have the option to go online they would have to be prepared everyday for school on the topic the class is discussing. If a students doesn’t get something now and they are online they will most likely forget it and not even try and learn it, but if the student is in class they will have no other choice but to learn it because you never know when you will be called and when you take the test the likelihood of you being able to use your notes or the internet is slim. Some students might say that online school helps them in school and allows them to move at their own pace but studies show that, “for a typical student, taking a course online rather than in person would decrease his or her likelihood of course persistence by 7% point.”  

When a teacher asked in one class the number of students who used Chegg which is a cheating site 60 out of 250 students have done it, and 100 students in other classes were identified as having used Chegg in a similar way. There is no coincidence that cheating sites have increased when online classes have also increased. Even if students don’t need to cheat it is at their disposal any time of the day for almost every topic. “Online school helps me pace myself and allows me to go at my tempo” some students say. Although that might be true to an extent the real world doesn’t move at your pace. When you get a job and your boss wants you to learn something in a day you can’t tell him that you need an extra week because you like to work slowly on things. In person classes allow you to be self paced but to an extent which is preparing us for the real world. It also allows the students to build connections and relationships with people. That is very important in the real world because how some people obtain jobs is based on who they know. Having in person classes allows students to talk to each other and really see others rather than looking at a person’s name and sometimes never seeing their face. Online classes are more convenient because who wouldn’t want to wake up five minutes before class and then log into class and go about their day. Research shows that actually 70% of students prefer mostly or completely face-to face learning environments. 

People will say that “online school is cheaper than traditional learning.” Studies show that if colleges and universities deliver online courses correctly it could be more expensive than if they just gave out traditional classes. Most colleges and universities charge the same tuition for online and on campus classes, and some even charge more. About 5% of schools charge online students a lower cost according to a CHLOE report. Some online classes might also be more expensive due to the fact that students have to buy a suitable laptop for class and pay for technology fees that some students on campus wouldn’t have to pay. Online classes aren’t necessarily cheaper depending on the university you chose will help you determine that question. 

Allowing students to go back into the classrooms instead of staying online will help the students out. They will be forced to actually learn the assignment instead of googling the question. In person class gives students a stable schedule that they are held accountable to, they can’t just skip class and everything will be okay. If they skip class then they will most likely get detention unlike online school if you skip a class the teachers can’t really do anything to you. Returning back to classrooms will also allow students to interact with each other again and allow them to actually prepare for the real world and it’s challenges that it will hit you with daily.  

References

Koenig, R. (2019, December 11). Most Students and Faculty Prefer Face-To-Face Instruction, EDUCAUSE Surveys Find – EdSurge News. EdSurge. https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-12-11-most-students-and-faculty-prefer-face-to-face-instruction-educause-surveys-find.

Krakoff, S. (n.d.). The cost of online education vs. traditional education. https://online.champlain.edu/blog/cost-of-online-education-vs-traditional-education.

Newton, D. (2021, April 8). Another problem with shifting education online: cheating. The Hechinger Report. https://hechingerreport.org/another-problem-with-shifting-education-online-cheating/.

Pitt, D. (2020, April 8). Face-to-face learning is better than online. The Crimson White. https://cw.ua.edu/64870/opinion/face-to-face-learning-is-better-than-online/.

Students Get Lower Grades in Online Courses. Harvard Business Review. (2015, March 30). https://hbr.org/2013/12/students-get-lower-grades-in-online-courses.

Terry, C. (2020, August 7). Noodle. https://www.noodle.com/articles/are-online-classes-cheaper. 

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Rebuttal – Mrmba1

Posted on April 11, 2021 by mrmba1

  With all good things, there are ultimately negatives that accompany the positives, and drumming is no exception. Even though there may seem to be a clear abundance of great health benefits from the act of drumming, there are physical and mental attributes that may seem to outweigh the good. Social inhibitors of drumming can be seen mainly through famous drummers of the twentieth century, where the pressure has gotten to them. Physically, there are all kinds of injuries that can be caused from this activity, some of which are irreversible such as hearing damage. However with all these negatives, it must seem like a claim that drummers live longer healthier lives couldn’t possibly be true.

  The physical results that come from drumming are the most obvious, as they are the ones that can typically be the most dangerous and threatening to the drummer’s well being and career. Hearing damage is almost heavily associated with drumming, and is the most obvious negative outcome from the activity. In addition to simply hearing loss, the “most frequent hearing disorders that affect musicians are tinnitus, a sporadic, acute phenomenon of phantom noise… and hyperacusis, an increased auditory sensitivity to loudness.” (Halevi-Katz) However this irreversible impairment is easily avoidable as long as the drummer properly protects their ears. Overuse injuries of tendons and joints are almost as common, with injuries such as tendonitis and “tennis elbow,” or lateral epicondylitis seriously affecting the ability and health of the drummer. All drummers from professional to casual are required to hit hundreds if not thousands of notes constantly, and when those notes come from constant bombardment from a stick of wood hitting several types of surfaces, injuries are bound to occur. With all these notes, as explained by Alberto Selvaettis, a Sports Medicine physician, “a cumulative microtrauma can result, leading to the mechanical fatigue of a tendon, that becomes unable to withstand further stress.” While these injuries can be clear reasons to steer clear of drumming, with proper technique it is possible to avoid these injuries, and the positive physical attributes such as the vigorous exercise counteract this negative.

  The art and act of drumming, while it does help to refine the mind, can also seem to lead to some seriously detrimental mental effects. Primarily seen in performing and professional drummers, the constant stress, pressure, and responsibility that comes with being the drummer can easily overwhelm anyone. Drummers have the responsibility to hold the band together and provide structure and stability to any song being played, which can be extremely stressful for those who don’t know how to handle it.  They must learn to be good leaders, as they are the heart of the band and can change the overall feel of any song just by changing the groove. As musicians that specialize in rhythm, there is constant pressure to attain rhythmic perfection, speed, and accuracy in everything that is played, and “perfectionism has been associated with higher levels of stress and burnout.” (Stoeber) Many drummers that stop playing drums quit for this exact reason. When their hobby is made into a career, many drummers feel a sense of burnout, which is also caused by this fear of not achieving rhythmic and musical perfection. “It is not striving for perfection that is associated with burnout, but negative reactions to failure to achieve perfection,” (Stoeber) and the pressure of not being perfect and not being good enough gets the better of them so it can become appealing to abandon the activity all together. Although overwhelming, these demands help force leadership skills and self discipline to be obtained, ultimately bettering them as individuals and making them stronger mentally.

  The pursuit of rhythmic and musical perfection demands a lot of time and dedication, and those countless hours required can easily sweep drummers as well as other musicians away from having a healthy social life outside of music. For drummers looking to make it big or even just college drummers and musicians in general, these countless hours of practicing (when taken to the extremes) lead to social isolation to accommodate these demands. This isolation has been proven to host several “psychological, behavioral, and biological pathways by which social isolation and loneliness leads to poorer health and decreased longevity.” (Holt-Lunstad) Stepping away from college level, the travel that is required for touring drummers and the performance times required for studio drummers can also lead to this feeling of isolation. Of course, this only takes place if drummers shut themselves down to focus on achieving perfection, but for most musicians this rarely occurs and the social benefits of being a part of the community overcome this isolation. For touring musicians, many are away from home for months at a time or even a year. This time away can cause “a breakdown of personal relationships, with many musicians feeling alienated from loved ones back home.” (Britton) Outside of the music world, it is difficult for drummers to balance their social life. Although for many drummers, the music world is their only world and they wouldn’t have it any other way. This social cut off also allows musicians to meet hundreds of other people, that all love the same thing that they do. There is nothing comparable to the sense of community that comes with being a musician, and when it comes to drumming specifically, it’s like a universal family.

  Like most things, drumming has its potential risks and negatives. With the physical, mental, and social benefits comes another side of the coin. To some it may seem as though the physical risks and mental demands of drumming are not worth it, and for many this may be a clear sign to avoid drumming either professionally or casually. But in the end, the benefits far outweigh the negatives and through the activity it is possible to become the healthiest version of one’s self. All negatives, whether physical injuries, mental stress, or social hindrances are easily avoidable and if approached properly can result in refinement and growth. 

Sources

Britton, Luke Morgan. “Insomnia, Anxiety, Break-ups… Musicians on the dark side of touring.” The Guardian. 2015. https://bit.ly/3wGzYGy

Halevi-Katz, Dana N. “Exposure to music and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) among professional pop/rock/jazz musicians.” 2015. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4918652/

Holt-Lunstad. “Loneliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors for Mortality: A Meta- Analytic Review.” 2015. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691614568352

Selvanetti, Alberto. “Overuse tendon injuries: Basic science and classification.” 1997. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1060-1872(97)80031-7.

Stoeber, Joachim, and Dirk Rennert. 2008. “Perfectionism in School Teachers: Relations with Stress Appraisals, Coping Styles, and Burnout.” Anxiety, Stress & Coping 21 (1): 37–53. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.rowan.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=27528905&site=ehost-live.

Vardonikolaki, Aikaterini. “Musicians’ Hearing Handicap Index: A New Questionnaire to Assess the Impact of Hearing Impairment in Musicians and Other Music Professionals.” 2020. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_JSLHR-19-00165

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Rebuttal Rewrite—imgoingswimming

Posted on April 11, 2021 by imgoingswimming

Electric Vehicle Pollution

Electric Vehicles have taken the market by storm since the early 2000’s. Many large motor companies such as Ford, Chevy, Toyota, and Honda have started incorporating electric or hybrid vehicles in the lineup with the popularity of electric cars increasing. Some car companies have started from the ground up just with an electric line of vehicles such as Tesla Motors. Tesla Motors was founded in 2003 and has become a multi billion dollar company, helping its founder become the second richest man in the world. The market for electric vehicles has boosted thanks to the awareness pollution that is affecting our earth and the misconception that electric vehicles have no negative effect on the earth. This is because of false information that has been spread which has led to many states in the US making electric cars required by 2035.  Information from sources such as Energy.gov’s office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy have made some claims that do not exactly hold up. 

The Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Resources starts by talking about the amount of emissions that gasoline and diesel cars emit unlike electric cars saying “Direct emissions are emitted through the tailpipe, through evaporation from the fuel system, and during the fueling process… All- electric vehicles produce zero direct emissions, which specifically helps improve air quality in urban areas.” According to the union of Concerned Scientists, gasoline cars that have direct emissions introduced into the atmosphere such as particle matter such as soot, Volatile organic matter which introduces smog into the atmosphere, Nitrogen oxides, Carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and greenhouse gasses which pollutes the atmosphere and is a large factor in climate change. The article is correct in the downsides in gasoline and diesel vehicles, but provides false logic and even twists its words in order to make electric cars seem better. The article states that there is zero direct emission, which is true, but the indirect emissions from power plants are just as immense. Instead of tailpipes electric cars have smokestacks as exhausts connected to the factories which then power them. 

The office of Energy Efficiency says electric cars “reduce the emissions that contribute to climate change and smog, improving public health and reducing ecological damage.” These factories still emit most if not all of the same chemicals that gasoline cars emit. The American Lung Associations has articles that speak on the matter of pollution from coal, natural gas, oil, and biomass powered electric plants such as where they speak about the different kinds of pollution and its health effects. These pollutants include particle pollution like soot, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other pollutants which can cause cancer, harm to the nervous system, birth defects, impaired lung function and many more. These electric vehicles do not help improve air quality whatsoever. 

Electric vehicles do reduce pollution in urban areas as electric cars do not emit any of these pollutants while driving through these dense areas. While this may seem like a good result of electric cars it is in fact not. These electric power plants, especially coal power plants are built outside these urban areas in much less populated areas. In New Jersey there are only two coal power plants. Both power plants are located directly along the Delaware river in South Jersey very close to each other, with another coal power plant up the River in Chesterfield PA. These power plants introduce these chemicals and soot directly along the Delaware wear anything that possibly lands in its water is let out to sea. This does not do as promised by reducing the ecological damage, in fact according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency 28 percent of all emissions are from transportation 59 percent of those emissions are from cars, and 27 percent of all emissions are from electricity production. The difference between Electricity production and Transportation is an only one percent difference and with the increase in electric vehicles overall Electricity production emissions will increase while vehicle emissions decrease. Electric cars will become a tradeoff with gasoline cars. 

An argument provided is that emissions are released in the process of creating gasoline while electric cars do not go through this process. The EERE says “Life cycle emissions include all emissions related to fuel and vehicle production, processing, distribution, use, and recycling/disposal.  For example, for a conventional gasoline vehicle, emissions are produced when petroleum is extracted from the ground, refined to gasoline, distributed to stations, and burned in vehicles. Like direct emissions, life cycle emissions include a variety of harmful pollutants and GHGs.” The production of an electric car is not the cleanest process either. Electric cars need many heavy and toxic metals to produce the batteries, motors, and circuitry in each car. The process of mining and refining these heavy metals also results in emissions, along with this the same process producing coal and fuel is also needed for 60 percent of electricity. 

To counter this point the EERE says “Charging your EV on renewable energy such as solar or wind minimizes these emissions even more.” Solar power is a great work around that would reduce the emissions from electricity production as it is clean in producing power. The downside is that in order for everyone to have an electric car everyone would need to have solar panels on their roof in order to run on clean energy. The power from a solar panel is enough to charge a vehicle, but with everyone in a household using an electric vehicle it is possible that this is still not enough. On top of this, solar panels require the mining of heavy and precious metals along with the usage of toxic substances. In order for everyone to buy an electric car mining would have to largely increase for the demand of these substances which again would result in emissions. The mining of these metals and creation of solar panels can be hazardous for some workers which could possibly breath in silicon dust. A better alternative is to first focus on the industrial market mode of transportation as these trucks take up 23 percent of all emissions created from transportation. Companies such as Amazon and UPS have large warehouses which can accommodate many solar panels which could charge many vehicles in their fleet. 

References
(The urls are good to have, but they’re no substitute for Bibliographic notations. You’ll need both for a compliant References section.)

https://www.energy.gov/eere/electricvehicles/electric-vehicle-benefits

https://www.lung.org/clean-air/outdoors/what-makes-air-unhealthy/electric-utilities

https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/cars-trucks-buses-and-air-pollution#:~:text=Carbon%20monoxide%20(CO).,primarily%20from%20cars%20and%20trucks.

https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/fast-facts-transportation-greenhouse-gas-emissions

What is Clean Energy
Posted in imgoingswimming, Rebuttal Rewrite | 5 Comments

Rebuttal- imgoingswimming

Posted on April 11, 2021 by imgoingswimming

Electric Vehicle Pollution

Electric Vehicles have taken the market by storm since the early 2000’s. Many large motor companies such as Ford, Chevy, Toyota, and Honda have started incorporating electric or hybrid vehicles in the lineup with the popularity of electric cars increasing. Some car companies have started from the ground up just with an electric line of vehicles such as Tesla Motors. Tesla Motors was founded in 2003 and has become a multi billion dollar company, helping its founder the second richest man in the world. The market for electric vehicles has boosted thanks to the awareness pollution that is affecting our earth and the misconception that electric vehicles have no negative effect on the earth. This is because of false information that has been spread which has led to many states in the US making electric cars required by 2035.  Information from sources such as Energy.gov’s office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy have made some claims that do not exactly hold up. 

The Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Resources starts by talking about the amount of emissions that gasoline and diesel cars emit unlike electric cars saying “Direct emissions are emitted through the tailpipe, through evaporation from the fuel system, and during the fueling process… All- electric vehicles produce zero direct emissions, which specifically helps improve air quality in urban areas.” According to the union of Concerned Scientists, gasoline cars that have direct emissions introduced into the atmosphere such as particle matter such as soot, Volatile organic matter which introduces smog into the atmosphere, Nitrogen oxides, Carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and greenhouse gasses which pollutes the atmosphere and is a large factor in climate change. The article is correct in the downsides in gasoline and diesel vehicles, but provides false logic and even twists its words in order to make electric cars seem better. The article states that there is zero direct emission, which is true, but the indirect emissions from power plants are just as immense. Instead of tailpipes electric cars have smokestacks as exhausts connected to the factories which then power them. 

The office of Energy Efficiency says electric cars “reduce the emissions that contribute to climate change and smog, improving public health and reducing ecological damage.” These factories still emit most if not all of the same chemicals that gasoline cars emit. The American Lung Associations has articles that speak on the matter of pollution from coal, natural gas, oil, and biomass powered electric plants such as where they speak about the different kinds of pollution and its health effects. These pollutants include particle pollution like soot, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other pollutants which can cause cancer, harm to the nervous system, birth defects, impaired lung function and many more. These electric vehicles do not help improve air quality whatsoever. 

Electric vehicles do reduce pollution in urban areas as electric cars do not emit any of these pollutants while driving through these dense areas. While this may seem like a good result of electric cars it is in fact not. These electric power plants, especially coal power plants are built outside these urban areas in much less populated areas. In New Jersey there are only two coal power plants. Both power plants are located directly along the Delaware river in South Jersey very close to each other, with another coal power plant up the River in Chesterfield PA. These power plants introduce these chemicals and soot directly along the Delaware wear anything that possibly lands in its water is let out to sea. This does not do as promised by reducing the ecological damage, in fact according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency 28 percent of all emissions are from transportation 59 percent of those emissions are from cars, and 27 percent of all emissions are from electricity production. The difference between Electricity production and Transportation is an only one percent difference and with the increase in electric vehicles overall Electricity production emissions will increase while vehicle emissions decrease. Electric cars will become a tradeoff with gasoline cars. 

An argument provided is that emissions are released in the process of creating gasoline while electric cars do not go through this process. The EERE says “Life cycle emissions include all emissions related to fuel and vehicle production, processing, distribution, use, and recycling/disposal.  For example, for a conventional gasoline vehicle, emissions are produced when petroleum is extracted from the ground, refined to gasoline, distributed to stations, and burned in vehicles. Like direct emissions, life cycle emissions include a variety of harmful pollutants and GHGs.” The production of an electric car is not the cleanest process either. Electric cars need many heavy and toxic metals to produce the batteries, motors, and circuitry in each car. The process of mining and refining these heavy metals also results in emissions, along with this the same process producing coal and fuel is also needed for 60 percent of electricity. 

To counter this point the EERE says “Charging your EV on renewable energy such as solar or wind minimizes these emissions even more.” Solar power is a great work around that would reduce the emissions from electricity production as it is clean in producing power. The downside is that in order for everyone to have an electric car everyone would need to have solar panels on their roof in order to run on clean energy. The power from a solar panel is enough to charge a vehicle, but with everyone in a household using an electric vehicle it is possible that this is still not enough. On top of this, solar panels require the mining of heavy and precious metals along with the usage of toxic substances. In order for everyone to buy an electric car mining would have to largely increase for the demand of these substances which again would result in emissions. The mining of these metals and creation of solar panels can be hazardous for some workers which could possibly breath in silicon dust. A better alternative is to first focus on the industrial market mode of transportation as these trucks take up 23 percent of all emissions created from transportation. Companies such as Amazon and UPS have large warehouses which can accommodate many solar panels which could charge many vehicles in their fleet. 

https://www.energy.gov/eere/electricvehicles/electric-vehicle-benefits

https://www.lung.org/clean-air/outdoors/what-makes-air-unhealthy/electric-utilities

https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/cars-trucks-buses-and-air-pollution#:~:text=Carbon%20monoxide%20(CO).,primarily%20from%20cars%20and%20trucks.

https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/fast-facts-transportation-greenhouse-gas-emissions

What is Clean Energy
Posted in imgoingswimming, Rebuttal Essay | Leave a comment

Rebuttal Rewrite – iwantpopsicle

Posted on April 11, 2021 by iwantpopsicle

The Stigma of Borderline Personality Disorder

The stigmatization of individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder does not end in the emergency room or the doctor’s office. The stigma really becomes a serious issue when it lends itself towards criminal activity, and the unjust perception that criminals are often BPD sufferers.

A lot of criminal activity is either blamed on psychopathic personality traits, or entirely attributed to personality disorders in general. This leads to the general perception that those with borderline personality disorder, or other personality disorders, are inherently capable of criminal activity, on any scale. While it is absolutely possible that someone with a personality disorder can commit any kind of crime, be it violent or just petty, it is not solely those individuals that perpetrate criminal activities.

Psychologist Melvin Konner, M.D., Ph.D. states “In essence, day-by-day evil is done by people with certain severe personality disorders…” he also claims “The thing about them though, is that they often love intensely and inspire the love of others. That’s what makes them powerful and what makes the people around them vulnerable. Their love is intense, controlling, unreliable, and toxic.” when referring to BPD patients in specific. While it is possible that there are criminals committing crimes on a daily basis that fall into the category of a borderline personality diagnosis, it cannot be concluded that all day-by-day crime is committed by those with personality disorders.

First, we need to examine the personality traits of those with borderline personality disorder that may lead them to commit crime. Individuals with BPD have a lot on their plate when it comes to impulse control and emotional regulation. These people typically have a very hard time controlling their impulses, and this symptomatology can vary in severity from person to person, similar to how it would in a neurotypical group of individuals. The difference between impulsivity in those with borderline personality disorder and a neurotypical individual is the response to those impulses. Those with BPD may have a hard time rationalizing avoiding a dangerous activity, or one that puts others in potential danger. Being that this emotional impulsivity exists stronger in BPD patients, it can paint the picture that they are more prone to committing crimes. However, this is not necessarily the case.

In the article Personality Disorders and Violence: What is the link? by Richard Howard, he claims “Moreover, antisocial/borderline PD comorbidity has been found to be strongly associated with degree of severe violence perpetrated by personality disordered offenders.” There are so many factors that need to be taken into account when generalizing a population of mental health patients, especially comorbidity. Comorbidity is the existence of multiple factors that play into the result of a given negative situation. While borderline personality disorder has never been found to be conclusively violent or inherently criminally motivating, antisocial personality disorder has been found to be a driving force in criminal activity. People with antisocial personality disorder tend to act carelessly and completely disregard the safety, feelings, and well-being of everyone around them. This is not characteristic of borderline personality disorder. When two conditions exist within the same person, it becomes nearly impossible to blame one aspect of their personality for their actions, which leads to a generalized viewpoint of all aspects of their personality playing into their violent/dangerous behavior.

In psychologist Sudhinta Sinha’s academic article Personality correlates of criminals: A comparative study of normal controls and criminals she says “If we scrutinize the life histories of people who commit and are convicted of real, or victimizing, crimes, especially the histories of recidivist criminals, we find that the criminal’s personality has become organized around the principle of attacking, going against, and taking from people as his/her way of relating to them. Early in life, he/she learned to take what he/she wanted. Once the personality is so organized, he/she repeatedly commits crime, and he/she does so compulsively.” This is the typical case when it comes to criminals: their behavior stems from a long history of acting out, or being horribly abused. When looking at borderline personality disorder, we don’t find this to be the cause. Individuals with borderline personality disorder usually begin to show symptoms of their condition after childhood neglect, sexual trauma, and physical abuse. The structure of someone with borderline personality disorder by itself is different than someone who is a violent, psychopathic criminal. Those with BPD tend to regress, rather than progress into someone who is violent. Their behaviors often serve as coping mechanisms and a way to defend themselves, and this doesn’t make them act out violently. Borderline personality disorder is not often categorized as violent, or maliciously cruel, while psychopathic disorders such as antisocial personality disorder are. 

Konner claims that those with borderline personality disorder use their intense emotions of love and attachment to their advantage, and this helps them make those around them vulnerable and emotionally compromised. While this is a true tendency of those with borderline personality disorder, it does not suggest criminal activity. These behaviors are often primarily exemplified in interpersonal relationships, rather than unprovoked crime or violence. The damage that these behaviors cause is limited to emotional damage in another person, not physical violence. Generalizing BPD sufferers in with all other personality disorders and their related crimes therefore does not carry any real weight.

Works Cited

Howard, R. (2015, September 17). Personality disorders and violence: What is the link? Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://bpded.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40479-015-0033-x

Mel, & Says:, J. (2015, February 21). “Evil genes”. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://www.melvinkonner.com/evil-genes/

Sinha, S. (2016). Personality correlates of criminals: A comparative study between normal controls and criminals. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5248419/

Posted in iwantpopsicle, Rebuttal Rewrite | 2 Comments

Rebuttal – iwantpopsicle

Posted on April 11, 2021 by iwantpopsicle

The Stigma of Borderline Personality Disorder

The stigmatization of individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder does not end in the emergency room or the doctor’s office. The stigma really becomes a serious issue when it lends itself towards criminal activity, and the unjust perception that criminals are often BPD sufferers.

A lot of criminal activity is either blamed on psychopathic personality traits, or entirely attributed to personality disorders in general. This leads to the general perception that those with borderline personality disorder, or other personality disorders, are inherently capable of criminal activity, on any scale. While it is absolutely possible that someone with a personality disorder can commit any kind of crime, be it violent or just petty, it is not solely those individuals that perpetrate criminal activities.

Psychologist Melvin Konner, M.D., Ph.D. states “In essence, day-by-day evil is done by people with certain severe personality disorders…” he also claims “The thing about them though, is that they often love intensely and inspire the love of others. That’s what makes them powerful and what makes the people around them vulnerable. Their love is intense, controlling, unreliable, and toxic.” when referring to BPD patients in specific. While it is possible that there are criminals committing crimes on a daily basis that fall into the category of a borderline personality diagnosis, it cannot be concluded that all day-by-day crime is committed by those with personality disorders.

First, we need to examine the personality traits of those with borderline personality disorder that may lead them to commit crime. Individuals with BPD have a lot on their plate when it comes to impulse control and emotional regulation. These people typically have a very hard time controlling their impulses, and this symptomatology can vary in severity from person to person, similar to how it would in a neurotypical group of individuals. The difference between impulsivity in those with borderline personality disorder and a neurotypical individual is the response to those impulses. Those with BPD may have a hard time rationalizing avoiding a dangerous activity, or one that puts others in potential danger. Being that this emotional impulsivity exists stronger in BPD patients, it can paint the picture that they are more prone to committing crimes. However, this is not necessarily the case.

In the article Personality Disorders and Violence: What is the link? by Richard Howard, he claims “Moreover, antisocial/borderline PD comorbidity has been found to be strongly associated with degree of severe violence perpetrated by personality disordered offenders.” There are so many factors that need to be taken into account when generalizing a population of mental health patients, especially comorbidity. Comorbidity is the existence of multiple factors that play into the result of a given negative situation. While borderline personality disorder has never been found to be conclusively violent or inherently criminally motivating, antisocial personality disorder has been found to be a driving force in criminal activity. People with antisocial personality disorder tend to act carelessly and completely disregard the safety, feelings, and well-being of everyone around them. This is not characteristic of borderline personality disorder. When two conditions exist within the same person, it becomes nearly impossible to blame one aspect of their personality for their actions, which leads to a generalized viewpoint of all aspects of their personality playing into their violent/dangerous behavior.

In psychologist Sudhinta Sinha’s academic article Personality correlates of criminals: A comparative study of normal controls and criminals she says “If we scrutinize the life histories of people who commit and are convicted of real, or victimizing, crimes, especially the histories of recidivist criminals, we find that the criminal’s personality has become organized around the principle of attacking, going against, and taking from people as his/her way of relating to them. Early in life, he/she learned to take what he/she wanted. Once the personality is so organized, he/she repeatedly commits crime, and he/she does so compulsively.” This is the typical case when it comes to criminals: their behavior stems from a long history of acting out, or being horribly abused. When looking at borderline personality disorder, we don’t find this to be the cause. Individuals with borderline personality disorder usually begin to show symptoms of their condition after childhood neglect, sexual trauma, and physical abuse. The structure of someone with borderline personality disorder by itself is different than someone who is a violent, psychopathic criminal. Those with BPD tend to regress, rather than progress into someone who is violent. Their behaviors often serve as coping mechanisms and a way to defend themselves, and this doesn’t make them act out violently. Borderline personality disorder is not often categorized as violent, or maliciously cruel, while psychopathic disorders such as antisocial personality disorder are. 

Konner claims that those with borderline personality disorder use their intense emotions of love and attachment to their advantage, and this helps them make those around them vulnerable and emotionally compromised. While this is a true tendency of those with borderline personality disorder, it does not suggest criminal activity. These behaviors are often primarily exemplified in interpersonal relationships, rather than unprovoked crime or violence. The damage that these behaviors cause is limited to emotional damage in another person, not physical violence. Generalizing BPD sufferers in with all other personality disorders and their related crimes therefore does not carry any real weight.

Works Cited

Howard, R. (2015, September 17). Personality disorders and violence: What is the link? Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://bpded.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40479-015-0033-x

Mel, & Says:, J. (2015, February 21). “Evil genes”. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://www.melvinkonner.com/evil-genes/

Sinha, S. (2016). Personality correlates of criminals: A comparative study between normal controls and criminals. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5248419/

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Rebuttal- person345

Posted on April 8, 2021 by person345

The Truth About Travel

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, many critics of travel believe that travelling and going on a vacation also leads to some 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.” Also, many people 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 economic risks and 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 apart 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.

While it is true that potential terrorist attacks can make people afraid and anxious about traveling, it is also true that depriving people of travel can bring on these affects as well because they are not able to go on a vacation. 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 the restrictions still in place, society shifted the blame towards others such as their governments and people.  The January 6th riots at the United States capital and the shootings of Asian Americans in Atlanta are the most recent examples. 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. Because of these events, it is dangerous forcing people to stay home. From this past year, we have seen that slowing down travel has damaging effects even more so than allowing it. 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.6050028
  2. 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
  3. 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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Grammar Exercise – iwantpopsicle

Posted on April 5, 2021 by iwantpopsicle

If a primary caretaker has a negative attitude towards their child, it increases the risk that their child will grow up hostile towards others. And it’s not just aggression towards others that results from child abuse; a large amount of children raised by abusive parents also harm themselves. The reason for this negative behavior is that the children don’t learn appropriate techniques for handling life’s disappointments. If you aren’t raised with coping skills, you’re much too likely to act ‘inappropriately’ than if you have developed more reasonable approaches. The effect of poor parenting as reported by Dr. Geoffrey Dahmer in “The Bully Papers”, is that everyone gets the child they deserve.

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Grammar Exercise- Thecommoncase

Posted on March 31, 2021 by thecommoncase

When primary caretakers release negative attitudes towards their child, it increases the risk of their child become more hostile towards others. Not only does hostility towards others result from child abuse, a large number of children raised by abusive parents also harm themselves. This negative behavior occurs when children do not learn appropriate techniques for handling life’s disappointments. If a child is not raised with coping skills, they’re much more likely to act inappropriately than if the child had developed these coping skills. The effect of poor parenting as reported by Dr. Geoffrey Dahmer in “The Bully Papers,” is that everyone gets the child they deserve.

Posted in Grammar Exercise, thecommoncase | 1 Comment

Grammar Basics-person345

Posted on March 31, 2021 by person345

If a primary caretaker has a negative attitude toward a child, they increase the risk that their child will grow up hostile towards others. And it’s not just aggression toward others that results in child abuse; a large amount of children raised by abusive parents also harm themselves. The reason for this negative behavior is because children don’t learn appropriate techniques for handling life’s disappointments. If a child is not raised with coping skills, they are likely to act “inappropriately” then if they have developed more reasonable approaches. The affect of poor parenting as reported by Dr. Geoffrey Dahmer in “The Bully Papers”, is that everyone gets the child they deserve.

Posted in Grammar Exercise, person345 | 1 Comment