Blue Pill Research Articles

‘Retire, play petanque, take synthrom, travel, eat a blue pill and screw two old ladies’: Ageist language in Spain on Twitter

Ageist language discriminates against older people, infantilising, depersonalising and dehumanising them. Through a longitudinal study of tweets written in Spain between 2019 and 2023, this study investigates the evolution of ageism in the Spanish language. Using a mixed methodology based on Twitter public data mining, 27,971 tweets were analysed. Of these, 3555 tweets (19.31%) used ageist language. The analysis revealed a significant increase in ageist language after COVID-19, with the number of ageist tweets almost doubling compared to the pre-pandemic period. The results of the study suggest that ageist language on Twitter in Spain is mainly characterised by depersonalisation, portraying older people as a homogeneous and passive group. The study also highlights the double discrimination faced by older women on Twitter, where the language is not only ageist but also sexist, limiting their privacy and denying their rights in relation to their sexuality and physical appearance.

Simple and Low-Cost Ground Level Ozone Measurement System Based on Internet of Things

Air quality monitoring in Indonesia is still not optimal owing to the lack of ambient air quality monitoring stations. Air quality in Indonesia is expressed by the air pollution status index (ISPU). Ozone is one of the parameters with the highest intensity at ambient air quality monitoring stations which is one of the parameters of ISPU. This study aims to design an ambient air ozone concentration monitoring device connected to a wireless network using economical components. This system uses the MQ131 sensor, DHT22 sensor, STM32 Blue Pill microcontroller, and Lora module, which is equipped with a power supply and protector, and displays monitoring results that provide an overview and additional information related to the air quality of the monitoring location on the website. The designed monitoring device can record ambient air ozone levels at the monitoring location with an average value of 20.33 μg/m3 with an average percent error of 2.34%. The ISPU value obtained during the measurement was 8, and the ISPU status was categorized as good.

Take the Red Pill, Blame Feminism: Victimization Narratives Across the Manosphere

Male supremacist online communities have been linked to a number of negative outcomes over the last decade, including alt-right mobilizations, digitally-mediated campaigns of harassment against prominent feminist figures, and incidents of mass violence. These digital spaces are aligned in their commitment to narratives of male victimization at the hands of women and feminism, but are somewhat heterogenous in their topical foci and applications of male supremacist ideologies. Such variation reflects both differences in how groups conceive of the problems of facing men, and potentially contributes to the different types of harm wrought by these communities.

The red pill problem

The red pill problem

“An Alpha Wouldn't Spare an Emotion on a Woman”: A directed qualitative analysis of dark triad outcomes in women's relationships with Red Pill men

AbstractThe Dark Triad (DT) is a set of personality traits consisting of subclinical psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. Separately, The Red Pill (TRP) is a seduction community part of an online men's movement that advocates incorporating DT traits and behaviors in romantic or sexual relationships with women. This study investigates the potential presence of DT influences in relationships with TRP‐affiliated men as described by former romantic partners. Using a directed content analysis of six semi‐structured interviews, four thematic categories emerged: relationship development, coaxing, outward appearances, and DT‐associated Internet behaviors. TRP men consistently displayed self‐interest and willingness to use manipulation to meet their needs, portraying themselves to their partners and the world as successful while callously disregarding partners' emotions in their pursuit of sex or social desirability. Participants' experiences of TRP men's behaviors aligned with prior knowledge regarding DT‐associated romantic and sexual relationships. This research may be used to inform future research connecting DT personalities and maladaptive social groups, as well as generating prevention strategies among relationship‐based practitioners.

Anti-gender ideology and the depiction of lesbians in the manosphere.

Recent far-right and religious fundamentalist coalitions in Europe and the U.S. seek populist support through "anti-gender" rhetoric. These coalitions are in alignment with the manosphere in endorsement of biological essentialism and antifeminist, anti-LGBTQ stances. Based upon an examination of the data gathered for projects examining two manosphere communities (Red Pill and Incel), a clear picture emerges wherein they casually disparage lesbians and conflate lesbians with feminists, unearthing 1970s and 1980s political lesbian writings and discussing them out of context. Ironically, the dissatisfaction with gender relations that drove lesbian separatists at the time drives the manosphere, especially Incel, to be even more misogynistic and violent in service of their feelings of entitlement to women's bodies. This can be understood as part of a backlash against feminist and LGBTQ rights that is empowering fascists using anti-gender rhetoric in their rise to power.

Take the Blue Pill: Pursuing Mobile App Testing Fidelity, Efficiency, and Accessibility with Virtual Device Farms

For more than a decade, researchers have been extensively exploring mobile app testing on virtual devices [1-9], which are software-emulated mobile devices running on commodity servers, in a similar vein as virtual machines (VM) in the cloud. Building on server virtualization, virtual devices naturally inherit the benefits of VM, such as scalability, elasticity, and cost efficiency. Moreover, virtualization enables useful features not offered by physical devices, such as service instrumentation [3], whole-system snapshot [9], and memory introspection [1,2], atop which a series of advanced testing and debugging techniques are developed.

Blue pill or red pill? Green, thanks. Behavioural test on coloured light preference in the Calabrian Alpine newt to increase the capture rate

Abstract To improve monitoring techniques, we investigated the colour vision of the Calabrian Alpine newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris inexpectata). We conducted controlled behavioural experiments on male and female newts to explore their response to artificial coloured light sources in the dark. We used green, blue, and orange glow sticks. Observations indicated that both sexes strongly preferred green glow sticks, which were selected in almost 50% of the trials Additionally, newts exhibited markedly swifter reactions to green light. The attraction to green glow sticks may be due to the biofluorescence within the green wavelength spectrum in this newt. This glowing ability, which resembles the green glow stick’s glow, could be beneficial in low-light conditions to locate other newts. Our results show that the behavioural preferences towards a particular light source can significantly enhance the success of capturing newts during population monitoring and conservation efforts for this rare and threatened taxon.

Connotative Meaning Used in Maroon 5 Selected Songs “Red Pill Blues” Album

Every song has an important meaning that the singer intends to communicate to the audience. To have a thorough understanding of the music you wish to express, you might delve into its connotative meaning. The aims of this study were to identify the types of connotative meaning from the lyrics in selected song albums by Maroon 5 “Red Pill Blues”. The data were analyzed uses descriptive qualitative method based on the theory proposed by Leech (1974). This study found 25 data, based on the theory used there are three categorize of connotative meaning from the data above namely; positive connotative, negative connotative and neutral connotative with positive connotation as a highest occurrence. The finding show that connotative meaning is becoming increasingly. Common and maybe as a suitable learning medium. This research will provide learning with deep understanding about the meaning of the word.

“Come for the Memes, Stay for Defending the Faith”: Far-Right and Anti-Feminist Red Pill Influences in the #DezNat Twitter Hashtag

Scholarship on the intersection of Mormonism and the internet has often focused on progressive online voices. However, in recent years, the DezNat movement has challenged the assumption that online Mormonism necessarily trends more liberal than the Latter-day Saint mainstream. In this study, we examine the influence of red pill communities—which include far-right and anti-feminist movements on the internet—on DezNat. We collected 1,378 screenshots of tweets containing the #DezNat hashtag (which often included additional data and context) and engaged in open coding of these tweets, guided by our understanding of red pill concepts and tropes. We found considerable evidence of far-right and anti-feminist influences on DezNat-tagged tweets, suggesting that it is disingenuous for DezNat defenders to describe the movement as merely about Latter-day Saint orthodoxy. However, interpreting our findings through an affinity space framework, we argue that it is impractical—and perhaps impossible—to definitively establish the motivations of all those who participate in the movement. Rather, we suggest that the clear red pill references by DezNat participants provide an opportunity to consider overlaps between Mormonism, the far right, and aggressive anti-feminism—as well as the tensions between intentional ambiguity and boundary maintenance in Latter-day Saint institutions.

Evaluating Physician-AI Interaction for Multiple Myeloma Management: Paving the Path Towards Precision Oncology

Introduction The gap between clinical trials and real-world care continues to grow in the field of multiple myeloma (MM). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) cannot account for every patient scenario. Modern clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) that leverage machine learning (ML) models offer an alternate path to precision oncology. However, little work has been done to understand how clinicians reconcile RCT with ML data, particularly when results are discordant. Aim We designed a CDSS that displays simulated survival and adverse event data from an RCT and ML model and conducted a survey study to evaluate how clinicians incorporate the available data to make treatment decisions for 12 patients with MM. Methods Participants were presented with varying combinations of RCT and ML results in increasing “tiers” of information for 12 patients (A-L) with MM (Table 1). In tier 1, participants were provided RCT data only. In tier 2, participants were given outcomes of an ML model and in tier 3, they were provided with information about how the model was trained and validated. At each tier, participants were asked to select a treatment (“red pill” or “blue pill”), rate their confidence in treatment on a Likert scale from 1-10, and when ML data was available, rate their perceived reliability of the model on a Likert scale from 1-10. Participants were recruited from internal medicine and hematology/oncology departments via email between January and April 2023, and were offered a $50 Amazon gift card as incentive. We used descriptive statistics to analyze respondent characteristics. For each scenario, we ran two-sample paired t-tests to compare the change in confidence and reliability between tier 2 and tier 1 (ML versus RCT data) and tier 3 versus tier 2 (ML data with information about training and validation versus without). We utilized a Bonferroni correction to adjust the alpha level for significance. We also ran McNemar's tests with a Bonferroni correction to assess the difference in proportions of blue pill selection at different tiers to characterize the extent of treatment switching. Results A total of 284 physicians were invited to participate in the study and 32 participated, for a response rate of 11.3%. Half were internal medicine residents and half were hematology/oncology fellows and attendings. A majority were male (72.0%), white (69.0%) and all were less than 40 years of age. For scenarios A-D, the patient met inclusion criteria for the RCT and was well represented in training data for the ML model. Confidence was highest for scenario A where survival results between the RCT and ML model were concordant (Figure 1). Across scenarios B, C, and D, confidence dropped after seeing the ML results (B: p=0.05, C: p=0.05, D: p=0.36) but increased after participants learned the ML model was trained on patients like theirs (B: p=.002, C: p=0.17, D: p=0.06). In scenarios C and D, a majority of participants switched treatment after learning the ML model showed no benefit with the red pill (C: p=5.1x10 -4, D: p=1.5x10 -5). In scenarios E-H, the patient did not meet inclusion criteria for the RCT but was well represented in the training data for the ML model. When the ML model showed worse adverse events (F) or no benefit with the red pill (G, H) the majority of participants switched treatment choice (F: p=0.27, G: p=0.002, H: p=1.9x10 -4). There was an increase in confidence when participants learned the ML model had been trained on representative patients (E: p=0.008, F: p=0.01, G: p=0.18, H: p=2.0x10 -3). In scenarios I-L, the patient did not meet inclusion criteria for the RCT and was not well represented in the training data for the ML model. There was a decrease in confidence when participants learned this in tier 3 (I: p=0.18, J: p=3.0x10 -4, K: p=0.05, L: p=0.009). However, the majority of participants still switched to the blue pill when the ML model showed no benefit with the red pill (K: p=1.9x10 -4). Conclusions Confidence in treatment was highest when RCT and ML findings were concordant. Participants chose treatments based on ML model estimates even before assessing how the ML model was trained or validated. Participants preferred the treatment that demonstrated a survival benefit, regardless of whether it was supported by RCT data or an ML model.

Swallowing and spitting out the red pill: young men, vulnerability, and radicalization pathways in the manosphere

ABSTRACT During the last decades, new forms of men’s rights activism have emerged, commonly referred to as the ‘manosphere’. This loosely connected, misogynistic online movement particularly attracts young men. Its shared ideology is the Red Pill, a neoconservative ideology that adopts essentialist notions of gender and sexuality, and selectively employs evolutionary psychology to support male supremacy. While the discourses of the manosphere have been mapped, little research exists on how and why young men join and leave such misogynist groups. This article contributes to critical youth and feminist scholarship by analysing the gendered dynamics of online misogynist radicalization pathways. Based on narratives shared on a Reddit community for former ‘redpillers’, this article explores 30 young men’s experiences of entering and exiting the manosphere and details the essential role of vulnerability in these processes. The stories are synthesized into three phases to illustrate the paths in and out of the manosphere.

Ethnoracial Utopianism and Speculative Aesthetics after the End of History

Abstract Using a reading of Hari Kunzru’s novel Red Pill to frame our contemporary political moment, this article asks what techniques of cultural critique are available to the Left today when the strategies of imaginary worldbuilding have become so central to the ethnonationalist politics of the Right. It argues that the end of the Cold War prompted a reconfiguration of political identities and public discourse in both the West and the former Soviet territories—through distinct but interrelated logics—that highlighted the failures of liberalism in ways that set the stage for the mainstream return of fascist politics of white supremacy. In this context of alternative histories taken as fact, of conspiracy rhetoric seemingly impervious to reason, this article asks how we can respond in intellectually robust ways that will help us to ground an inclusive culture and build a better future, practices the author situates in the broad field of Marxist-informed utopian studies.

Abstract #1403051: Hypoglycemia After Ingestion of Street “Valium” Containing Glyburide, Alcohol, and Cocaine

Sulfonylureas increase the release of endogenous insulin, which can lead to hypoglycemia with overdose or ingestion by nondiabetic patients. Alcohol is metabolized by the liver resulting in decreased gluconeogenesis which can lead to hypoglycemia. Cocaine is not known to cause hypoglycemia but cocaine use and hypoglycemia can have a similar clinical presentation. A 33-year-old male with a history of narcotic dependence and anxiety was admitted after being found unresponsive and diaphoretic. Paramedics reported a glucose of 18 milligram per deciliter (mg/dL) that increased to 109 mg/dL after D50W administration. He regained consciousness at the scene but developed recurrent hypoglycemia. Prior to the medical encounter, the patient bought on the street and ingested 2 unmarked light blue pills thought to be valium to treat his anxiety. Subsequently, he developed diaphoresis and weakness and consumed cocaine and alcohol in attempt to relieve these symptoms. Twenty hours after the initial ingestion of the light blue pills, patient lost consciousness. Venous glucose in the emergency room was 15 mg/dL. Initiation of D50W infusion progressively improved blood glucose values over twenty hours. Once alert and oriented, the patient reported no personal or family history of diabetes. Toxicology screen was positive for benzodiazepines, cannabis, and cocaine. Laboratory values were notable for insulin of 47.4 milli-international units per milliliter (mIU/mL) (2.6-24.9), C-peptide of 5.4 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) (1.1-4.4), and glucose of 44 mg/dL. Patient underwent a 72 hour fast which did not suggest insulinoma. Sulfonylurea screen was positive for glyburide. Patient was discharged home in stable condition. Sulfonylurea induced hypoglycemia leads to clinical sedation, mimicking the effects of benzodiazepines and opioids. Sulfonylureas can be sold on the street, misbranded as benzodiazepines, or mixed with opioids. This has opened a window of opportunity for misuse of these medications. Alcohol consumption can cause hypoglycemia, however the mechanism differs from sulfonylurea, opioid, or benzodiazepine induced hypoglycemia. When taken in combination, severe hypoglycemia can result. Physicians should be aware of this possibility and consider intentional or unintentional sulfonylurea abuse, with or without other drugs.

Self-help and masculinity

Abstract This study investigates the interactional norms of a manosphere discussion forum known as The Red Pill (TRP), and asks whether it can be conceptualised as a self-help group. 2104 posts and comments from regular users and high-status users in the community were analysed qualitatively to determine how the community is characterised by certain speech acts, and how these speech acts correspond to face-enhancement and face-threat as well as to certain impression management strategies. Since personal disclosure, advice-giving, and face-enhancement are key characteristics of TRP, it could be argued that TRP shares some functional characteristics with self-help communities. However, much of the advice given is unsolicited, a disproportionately high rate of face-enhancement is directed towards high-status users, and speech acts such as elaborating, and some advice-giving and personal disclosure seem to be used for self-promotion purposes. Furthermore, the prevalence of unhedged face-threats sets TRP apart from traditional supportive communities.

CAN TOXIC MASCULINITIES BE DE-RADICALISED?: MAPPING THE DYNAMICS AND SPREAD OF INCEL IDEOLOGY ONLINE

In recent years, male supremacist and anti-women formations have become increasingly prevalent online. In particular, considerable attention has been focused on the incel (involuntary celibate) community due to a number of high-profile mass killings in the United States, Canada and, more recently, the UK. Incel ideology is a misogynistic formation, whose male proponents blame women for their lack of sexual activity. It operates in the broader virtual space of the manosphere, a loose conglomerate of online communities spread across various digital platforms, which are united in their antipathy toward feminism, their belief in evolutionary psychology and their adherence to the Red Pill (a process of enlightenment, whereby one comes to understand the world as a liberal feminist conspiracy that disadvantages men). This research tracks the dynamic pathways by which incel ideology spreads within and across online communities, digital platforms and geographical spaces, with a view to better understanding processes of radicalization, including ‘algorithmic radicalization.’ We also explore the dynamic interplay between incel and alt-right rhetoric. Understanding the contagion dynamics of extremist ideas - how such ideas circulate, gain new audiences, and morph into new ones - is crucial to researchers, educators, platforms and security practitioners: However, theoretical and practical understanding of the online contagion of extremist ideologies is lacking. It is only by understanding these ‘pilling pipelines’ (Ging and Murphy 2021) that effective interventions can be developed, whether educational, technological, legal or platform-governance-related.

‘How Can I Love You if You Don’t Let Me Do this?’ Evaluating the Effects of the Red Pill Seduction Community Experienced by Intimate Partners

ABSTRACT The Red Pill (TRP) is an online antifeminist seduction community, which encourages its members to employ their beliefs and manipulation strategies in offline relationships. Though previous studies have evaluated online TRP communities and their discourse, this study represents the first investigation of the impacts of TRP practices on intimate partners engaged in physical, offline relationships with TRP men. Six in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with women who had formerly been romantic partners with TRP men. Analysis revealed four primary themes: (1) technology use, (2) maltreatment, (3) social beliefs, and (4) long-term effects, each with multiple subcategories. TRP was used by male partners both as a basis for controlling many elements of participants’ lives, as well as a basis for their own beliefs about gender, sexuality, and politics. Despite differences in ages, lengths of relationships, and geographic locations of participants, commonalities were found in their experiences of various forms of maltreatment. As a result, participants expressed high levels of ongoing mistrust toward dating and other men. Findings suggest that TRP exists as a form of intimate partner violence spreading via the internet while masking as a seduction or self-help system, and that its risks are not limited to online spaces. Results may inform future research in order to generate greater awareness and potential prevention strategies for TRP-affected populations.

"Stop Asking for Life to Be a Poem": On Cybernetic Instrumentality

Abstract: The "sentimental" narrator of Hari Kunzru's Red Pill is starting to feel like a self-described "waster."1 Away on fellowship in Berlin at the interdisciplinary Deuter Center for Social and Cultural Research, our writer-in-residence narrator ingests the eponymous capsule and "wakes up" to the obsolescence of literary humanism, a historical "period that was drawing to a close" ( RP 46).2 Instead of using the time afforded by the fellowship to work on his grant winning project––notunironically titled "The Lyric I," and which aims to achieve poetic transcendence through a better understanding of "the construction of the self in lyric poetry" ( RP 15)––the narrator whiles away his days on violent police procedurals and social media doom-scrolling.3 "I was like a miser, fretting about his emotional hoard," he confesses: "I frequently found myself hunched over my laptop, my eyes welling with tears … If the world changed, would I be able to protect my family?" ( RP 6-7). Alternating between sentimental musings and apocalyptic fantasies, he slides into a "mad" state of internet-fueled paranoia and begins to see signs and symbols of "red pill" and Alt-Right ideology everywhere he looks ( RP 280). The "sleepy-eyed cartoon frog" on a stranger's tee shirt slyly signals right-wing in-group belonging, while the OK sign made by the right hand of Carl Spitzweg's "Poor Poet" is reinterpreted as an allusion to contemporary fascist iconography, a cryptic communication from the not-so distant past ( RP 27; 9-10).

Review: Pastels and Pedophiles: Inside the Mind of QAnon, by Mia Bloom and Sophia Moskalenko

This book is an excellent introduction to the origins of the QAnon posts (“drops”), their origin and history, the constituencies who were most influenced by QAnon, why people were attracted to the worldview, and what can be done when family members go down the rabbit hole of QAnon conspiracy theories.Mia Bloom is a political scientist who researches and publishes on various aspects of terrorism studies. Sophia Moskalenko is a psychologist who studies “mass identity, inter-group conflict, and conspiracy theories” (back cover flap). She has published books on how conflict contributes to radicalization and on the attraction of martyrdom. Pastels and Pedophiles is written in the combined voice of the two authors. Due to their different specializations, it is possible to distinguish one author’s writing from the other’s but this does not detract from the cohesion of the book.Chapter 1, “Looney Lies and Conspiracies: Making Sense of QAnon,” introduces the QAnon conspiracy theories, describes the origin of QAnon posts on 28 October 2017, discusses QAnon-supporting candidates for political office in 2020 and the ones elected to Congress, and reports statistics showing the growing percentage of QAnon believers in the United States—from 5 percent in 2019 to 17 percent in February 2021 (3). This chapter explores evidence for who QAnon poster(s) might have been. The authors demonstrate how the QAnon conspiracy theories are modeled on prior antisemitic conspiracy theories, notably the fictitious pamphlet, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (1902/1903) produced in Russia. The QAnon conspiracy theory that Democrats and their Hollywood elite supporters kidnap and torture children to extract a chemical that they use to keep themselves youthful is a reformulation of the old “blood libel” Christian conspiracy theory against Jews. Democrats are also accused of child sex-trafficking in the QAnon conspiracy theories. The chapter describes QAnon as a collection of conspiracy theories with believers continuing to create new variations.Chapter 2, which examines the 6 January 2021 insurrection, links former President Donald Trump’s supporters’ belief in QAnon conspiracy theories with the attempt to overthrow the outcome of the 2020 presidential election by attacking Congress. The chapter delves into contributing factors for people’s acceptance of QAnon conspiracy theories, including former military personnel suffering from PTSD, troubled family or personal backgrounds, and the monetization of QAnon merchandise. QAnon was marketed to women’s concerns about protecting children in posts in pastel colors. The authors argue that the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent shutdowns and social isolation contributed to more people reading QAnon conspiracy theories online and becoming converted.Chapter 3 looks at the radicalization of QAnon believers. It discusses how QAnon adherents say their conversion is similar to the character Neo in The Matrix (1999), who takes a red pill that awakens him to reality. This chapter also considers the QAnon belief in Trump as a savior, “the ultimate masculine hero who would rescue abused children” (100). In this regard, Bloom and Moskalenko argue that QAnon is “a kind of religion” (98). According to the authors,FolQlore satisfies four important needs for QAnon followers: a need to feel smart (cognitive utility); a need to feel connected (social utility); a need to feel positive emotions (emotional utility); and a need to feel like one’s life has a purpose (personal utility). (104)Chapter 4 explores the movement after the 6 January 2021 assault against the Capitol, when QAnon believers sorted themselves into “the Diehards,” “the Doubters,” and “the Defectors.” Strategies to promote critical thinking and social media literacy among Americans are discussed. The authors assert that online efforts to utilize QAnon to divide Americans have particularly originated from Russia (123–4, 132). Concerning the types of people who attacked the Capitol on 6 January, the chapter cites studies concluding that 68 percent of those individuals had psychopathologies (137). Steven Hassan’s theory of mind control is mentioned briefly (141) but not emphasized. Reflecting Moskalenko’s background in psychology, the authors recommend mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) formulated by Jon Kabat-Zinn as a way that people can cope with their concerns without resorting to conspiracy theories (147–8).Chapter 5, “Qontagion,” traces the spread of QAnon conspiracy theories worldwide and the appeal of QAnon to evangelical Christians. The role of Vladimir Putin utilizing online trolls to spread QAnon conspiracy theories in social media is also considered. The authors conclude that “QAnon’s spread is a well-executed psyop…a speciality of Putin’s KGB training” (169).The final chapter, “FAQs,” answers questions about QAnon, including how best to deal with family members who are QAnon adherents with varying levels of commitment and radicalization.Pastels and Pedophiles is an indispensable study of all aspects of the QAnon conspiracy theories for scholars studying and teaching about the movement.

Neo-Gnosticism and the American Dissident Right

Neo-Gnosticism and the American Dissident Right