Societal Ills Research Articles

Holier Than Thou? No Large Partisan Gaps in the Consumption of Pornography Online

Consumption of pornography has been blamed for a variety of societal ills, including the rise in misogyny, sex crimes, and the coarsening of the culture. Using passively collected browsing data from YouGov, we investigate how much pornography Americans consume online. We find that there is a sharp positive skew in the consumption of pornography, with a small number of users consuming lots of pornography and most consuming small amounts. Only about 32 percent of respondents consumed pornography online during the month-long observation period. Of the people who consumed pornography, the median consumer spent about three-quarters of an hour consuming pornography and 95 percent of the consumers spent less than five and a half hours. Lastly, in line with previous research (MacInnis and Hodson, 2015; Edelman, 2009), which was based on aggregated data, we find that Republicans consume slightly more pornography online than Democrats. Adjusting for immutable characteristics like age and gender makes the differences go away.

Religion and poverty alleviation in South Africa

South Africa, like all nations, faces several societal ills. In recent years, poverty has seen an increase in its prevalence rates – gaining attention from local, national, and international institutions. Poverty as a global phenomenon has existed for centuries and is predicted to continue for the foreseeable future. Amid this gloomy prediction, religion offers a beacon of hope. Religious communities provide a sense of comfort, security, and hope for a better future. However, they are also institutions capable of great social change and influence. Considering South Africa’s diverse and large religious community, the question of how religious communities can support poverty alleviation efforts and curb the growth of poverty becomes important, necessary, and relevant to the existing discourse on multilateral collaboration towards poverty alleviation.Contribution: This article contributes to understanding different religious views on poverty towards understanding the importance of the religious community and interfaith dialogue and collaboration in addressing the growth of poverty in South Africa.

A behaviorist perspective on how to address negative consumer behaviors

AbstractThe cognitivist paradigm has dominated the past 50 years of consumer research. Cognitivist theories have provided extensive insights into pre‐consumption behaviors (i.e., information gathering, attitude formation, product choice, and product purchase) and the processes that support these behaviors (i.e., attitudes, persuasion, information processing, memory, knowledge, and choice processes). Yet, the cognitivist paradigm has limitations, especially when it comes to addressing detrimental consumption, over‐consumption, and perverse incentives in consumption systems. To address these issues, we discuss how a behaviorist paradigm can be used to identify more efficient and effective interventions for societal ills. The behaviorist perspective emphasizes that an alteration of the consumption environment can influence the ease of expressing a behavior and the rewards/punishments associated with this expression. Hence, behaviorism is useful in identifying and implementing intelligent nudges.

A Linguistic Analysis of The Use of Humour in Adébáyò̩ Fálétí’s Writings

This study discussed strategies of humour in Adébáyọ̀ Àkàndé Fálétí’s writings. It interrogates how humour as a universal human interactional phenomenon is used to particularly entertain, checkmate human excesses and chastise societal ills in a mild manner. It is noted that among the living things only human beings laugh and humour excites laughter but it is not every humour that leads to laughter. Therefore, for humour to be effectively appreciated, it must be properly situated in its social context. The theoretical framework for this study is based on Thomas Veatch postulation of humour as a phenomenon made up of congruous and incongruous elements of socially typical and infringement of the prejudiced ethical standard. This framework is adopted to study Faleti’s use of humour to entertain, criticize human actions and chastise societal ills. It was out that humour as a form of lampoon is used euphemistically or ironically not as a means to destroy the society but to improve it. Faleti uses humour as an effective weapon of criticism and a subtle source of laughter to entertain the audience and to curb aberrations in the society. Humour in Faleti’s writings is used in a calm and amusing manner and the end result is laughter, although beneath the laughter is the lampoon of social misdemeanours concealed in the use of light-hearted constructions. Faleti has succeeded in espousing various methods of coping with serious and tense situation through the use of strategies of humour.

Anti‐Black Racism, Anti‐Immigrant Sentiment, and Misinformation: A Recipe for Profound Societal Harm

ABSTRACTMass media and big data constitute powerful information tools that fuel extremist, populist messaging. Demagogues turn to information tools to convey polarizing views, and governments increasingly rely on data and artificial intelligence to manage immigration. The speakers will describe how three global, deep‐seated, and historic societal ills—anti‐Black racism, anti‐immigrant sentiment, and misinformation—converge to typecast, vilify, and pathologize Black diasporic immigrants. The speakers will also share examples of anti‐Black, anti‐immigrant, and misinformed policymaking, rhetoric, and cultural norms within the United Kingdom and United States. Particular attention is granted to problematic assumptions within large‐scale population datasets that narrate migration tropes.

Pragmeme of political humour in selected political cartoons in Nigerian newspapers

Several studies have been conducted regarding the object of humour based research but few attention has been given Cartoon Motivated humour (CMH) in Nigerian discourse. Thus, this study explores a pragmatic study of political humour in selected political cartoons. It investigates humour that reflect the corruption, embezzlement, economic and health challenges in Nigeria shared through the selected political cartoons. The theoretical framework adopted is Jacob Mey's Pragmatic Act Theory. A total of Twelve (12) data were purposively selected from three different newspapers (The Punch, The Daily Trust and The Vanguard). The paper found out that the humour in political cartoon is to evoke laughter with the intention to correct the societal ills of the political leaders. This is achieved through the practs of informing, castigating, ridiculing, exposing, blaming, etc. The paper also revealed that pragmatic elements such as inference, (INF), Relevance (REL), Reference (REF) and Shared Situational Knowledge (SSK) were used to expose the hidden messages in the selected political cartoons. The study also examines the use of language in political humour and the study employs qualitative method of research. The study reveals the inference, reference, inferred alongside the Shared Situational Knowledge meaning of the data used which played a crucial role in understanding the interpretation of the pract performed in political cartoon. The paper concludes that the humour in political cartoon doesn't only evoke laughter but correct societal ills and the way language is used by political leaders in Nigeria.

The horrors of capitalism in Reza Abdoh’s The Law of Remains (1991)

Reza Abdoh’s The Law of Remains (1991) is a play replete with violence, cruelty, murder and gore. While many critics view the playwright’s horror-inflected plays as reflective of an Artaudian philosophy that attempts to uncover the essential human ‘truth’ underlying societal ills, I view The Law of Remains as an exercise in dialectical horror. That is, a play that harnesses the grammar of gore and excess to critique capitalism’s disempowering and rapacious qualities while highlighting how consciousness of such qualities could galvanize positive opposition to oppression. In this article, I examine some of the play’s key moments of horror through a Marxist lens to uncover an anti-capitalist structure of feeling that lay in stark opposition to dominant neo-liberal forces in the early 1990s.

Realist literature, gender and gullibility in African Pentecostalism: The case of Chiundura Moyo’s Kereke Inofa

There is a general consensus among religious scholars that Pentecostalism has risen phenomenally in Africa and Zimbabwe is no exception. In most cases, Pentecostalism has been presented as a sophisticated brand of Christianity while members of African Independent churches are shown to be gullible. The newly founded Pentecostal churches are more focused on gospreneurship while the media is busy with cases of cheating, dishonesty and the sexual abuse of women in these churches. Thus, academic scholars have begun to pay their attention on gullibility in Pentecostalism. Unfortunately, not many scholarly works have looked at literary texts that bring out the gullibility of members of Pentecostal churches in Zimbabwe. This article seeks to bridge this gap by analysing Aaron Chiundura Moyo’s Kereke Inofa [The Church Can die]. The main purpose is to bring out the significance of literary texts in projecting societal ills, specifically the gender power dynamics in Zimbabwean Pentecostal churches that may be difficult to deal with directly. The focus is on how women and some men are victims of the whims of some Pentecostal church leaders. The article is informed by the socio-historical approach, which states that artists derive the material for their works of art, subject matter, images and artistic languages from the life experiences of their societies. The socio-historical approach enables the researcher to understand the prevalence of gullibility in Pentecostal churches in Zimbabwe. The article relies heavily on content analysis of Moyo’s Kereke Inofa’s presentation of deception, and infidelity in Pentecostal Churches being performed on members who are projected in this play as ‘gullible’.Contribution: This article’s contribution lies in its critical analysis of gender and gullibility in African Pentecostalism in Zimbabwe. It is significant as it utilises a literary text to project the ills in Pentecostal churches and women’s sexual vulnerabilities.

Assessing the Role of Mass Media in Reducing the Menace of Insecurity in North-East Nigeria

Terrorism refers an unlawful violence or any other unlawful harmful act committed against civilians by groups or persons for political or other ideological goals, a premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets by sub national groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience. Since the emergence of Boko Haram terrorist group in the North-East Nigeria in 2002, human lives had been lost to their attacks in thousands. The killings have continued unabated until recently that they are being gradually overcome. Employing agenda setting theory, this study aimed at assessing the roles of mass media in reducing the menace of insecurity in North-East Nigeria. The study found among others that mass media can help to reduce the insecurity menace by articulation and pursuit of the national interests, conveying information to the people and security agencies, speaking out against societal ills and vices, providing informed criticism and viable alternatives to public policies on security matters and monitoring the performance of government security agencies and other concerned agencies. The study made additional recommendations on the roles that mass media can play in tackling insecurity in the region.

Sexual Abuse and its Implication in Nigerian Universities: A Reflection of David Bolaji’s TaniMola, A Satirical Folk Opera

Satire is a potent literary art used to critique and redress illicit acts in societies. It is one of the artistic weapons from time immemorial used by literary writers and art musicians for correcting societal ills. Also, this phenomenon, within the context of academia, has been used to unmask the perpetrators of evils and unlawful acts prevalent at different levels of the Nigerian university system and political system of governance. This study examines sexual abuse and its implication for Nigerian universities while reflecting on the illicit behaviours illustrated in David Bolaji’s Tanimola (2011), a satirical folk opera. The paper exposes male lecturers’ sexual molestation of female students and the stigmatisation of sexual assault victims. In addition, it unravels other illicit acts within the University community in Nigeria and how each identified unlawful act is treated with irony, humour, and contempt within the framework of TaniMola. Adopting the principle of Ethics and Moral Theory presented by Strahovnik (2018) for textual analyses of the libretto, plots, and scenes in Tanimola, the article submits that as the university system passes through different transitions, there is a need for caution on the part of male lecturers concerning sexual assaults being perpetuated on female students. The study pointed out that every institution has roles to play in the crusade against the illicit acts of female sexual abuse in Nigerian universities if gender fairness is guaranteed and the education standard is to be improved.

Martin Buber and Daoism on Interhuman Philosophy

For Martin Buber, a person participates in two kinds of relationship: the I-Thou and the I-It. In the case of the former, the wholeness of being is employed resulting in genuine dialogue, while the latter objectifies things and is thus devoid of anything genuine. Among the influences on Buber’s thought, that of Daoism has not gone unnoticed by scholars of comparative philosophy. This paper will contribute to said discourse by examining Buber’s concept of the interhuman and its employment of the following themes: oneness and the genuine person, non-deliberate action (wuwei) and the in-between, and genuine dialogue as a turning towards being. What our analysis will show is that Buber’s interhuman philosophy bears witness to the transcendence of words by bringing to life the silence from which they arise and recede, attuning participants in genuine dialogue to the spiritual resonance between themselves and the primal Thou, while elevating their faith in human life in the process. The interhuman was seen by Buber as a viable solution for the societal ills of his time and it remains so half a century after his passing.

After Virtue or After Autonomy?

In After Virtue, Alasdair MacIntyre argues that in modern ethical discourse, moral principles have been replaced by “fragments” that only partially represent their original meaning as derived from theological contexts. Today’s debates surrounding physician assisted suicide (PAS) and abortion highlight that the “fragment” of autonomy has been championed over principles such as justice, beneficence, and nonmaleficence with little justification. This acceptance of patient autonomy as the ultimate good distracts from societal ills that drive contentious medical decisions, further muddles society’s image of the human person, and subliminally redefines the medical profession. Medical professionals who oppose these practices must commit themselves to forming physician-patient covenants of trust, rather than accepting consumeristic models of patient care that foster an inappropriate focus on self-determination.

Creating Alignment: How the Humanities Can Help Heal Physicians and Patients.

The medical humanities, an umbrella term for the fields of ethics, social science, and fine arts, are increasingly recognized as an important component of medical education. Since the Flexner report, the primacy of science and evidence-based medicine has replaced subjectivity and nuance. While this has been critical for standardization of care and patient safety, an exclusive emphasis on science in undergraduate medical education can devalue more humanistic pursuits. Modern medicine is now plagued with burnout, pandemics, and societal ills that permeate into medicine. Addressing these requires a thoughtful, holistic approach where we extend our sights beyond strict evidence-based medicine.

Using effective psychological techniques to subvert a US sociopolitical context.

Chater & Loewenstein argue for a shift in focus from individual- to structural-level approaches to societal ills. This is valid and important but overlooks the barriers inherent in the current US partisan context. Psychology can be applied to help people of mixed allyship join together, to effectively and quickly force institutions and corporations to accept structural change.

Educationalising Death: The Emergence of Traffic Education in Swedish Elementary Schools

When a social problem is educationalised, i.e. formulated as a responsibility for educational institutions, knowledge becomes a solution for societal ills. This article examines the history of traffic education in Swedish elementary schools as a particular form of knowledge. Focusing on the three first decades of traffic education, the ambition is to delve deeper into the issue of what constituted traffic knowledge during a period of mass motorisation. In teaching about traffic, what were the main things that had to be conveyed? What were the main challenges in teaching the essentials of traffic, and what techniques were used to make traffic possible to understand for an audience of children? Drawing on handbooks for teachers and textbooks in traffic education, the article discusses five forms of knowledge that were used in traffic education: knowledge about risk, juridical knowledge, visual knowledge, moral knowledge, and practical knowledge.

Crisis of Banditry and the Internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria: A Political Economy Approach

Banditry crisis in Nigeria is one of the reasons for the emergence of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the creation of Internally Displaced Persons’ Camps (IDPCs). From the point of view of political economy approach, bandits attack as a result of many factors ranging from poverty and unemployment to the proliferation of arms as well as the desire to belong to the society. Managing this crisis has been difficult for the Nigerian state as adequate attention is not given to the situation; thus the increased number of displaced persons on daily basis. The study made use of secondary sources of data collection. It was discovered that banditry imposes untold hardship on the people; affecting their means of livelihood and exposing them to illegal means of sustenance. It has led to loss of lives and properties, undermined the security, peace and development of the Nigerian state and made women vulnerable to many societal ills. Efforts made by stakeholders to combat the scourge have not yielded the desired result. The paper thus recommends among others that, the over-dependence on the military to fight banditry is not the solution to the menace. There is the need to address the root causes of the banditry crisis which include poverty, unemployment, weak security system, the fragility of the Nigerian state, proliferation of arms and corruption. The government therefore should provide job opportunities for the youths; a conducive environment for the Internally Displaced Persons and plan ahead for them to return to their various homes. The government also should effectively monitor and secure the Nigerian borders with the neighbouring countries to checkmate illegal migration of people and arms proliferation. The government should re-orientate the people on ethical values and reverence for life and human rights.

Humor in the Education of the Women in the Manuscript Ādāb al-nisvān

Abstract The unpublished work Ᾱdāb al-Nisvān (Women’s mannerisms) is a reworked version of ‘Aqā’id al-Nisā’ (Women’s beliefs), otherwise known as Kulthūm-nana, the namesake of the main character in this work of prose. On the one hand, this work introduces a valuable resource as to the idea of the education of women in nineteenth-century Iran; and on the other hand, it is an attempt to verify the validity of claims made in Aqā’īd al-nisā’, and as such the validity of the reworked Ᾱdāb al-nisvān. One can make some connections between the two manuscripts. Ᾱdāb al-nisvān represents the folkloric aspects of women’s society. Didactic literature of this sort aims to criticize by means of ribaldry and satire. It guffaws at the religious superstitions of women—often later in years, where acting games and rites create a paradoxical framework for the intended reality. The author attempts to guide the feminine behavioral patterns by criticizing their ritual performances. This work takes an analogical approach to these manuscripts, their intent, and the theatrical genre of bāzīhā, where women highlight their societal ills in the all-woman sites available to them in their society.

Media’s Roles in Reporting Corruption in the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) Lands Restitution Process in Fako Division: 2014-2021

Media’s roles in exposing corruption is itemised in the CDC land restitution process in Fako Division of Cameroon, captioned as “The Land Grabbing Saga in Fako Division” by newspapers. Journalism in general and investigative reporting in particular, play a critical role in raising consciousness of and fighting against corruption. It is one of the most effective means of raising public consciousness about corruption. It is in this light that the researchers set out to investigate the actual role played by the media in reporting corruption in the CDC land restitution process. Two qualitative research methods were used to gather data. The first method, the qualitative content analysis, examined contents of four editions of CRTV Buea Press Club radio programme and also exploited contents of some newspapers and online media platforms on corruption in the CDC land restitution process. The second research method, in-depth interview, was used to gather data from some elites of Fako Division, members of the affected villages, journalists who reported on the corruption, some accused persons and CDC officials to ascertain media’s role in exposing corruption. The data reveal that the media played three roles in exposing corruption in the CDC land restitution process: giving information and creating awareness; public education; and prompting peers (other journalists) to also report on corruption. The elites and members of the affected communities attested that some of them were not aware of any corrupt practices until they heard about it on CRTV Buea Press Club and later followed it on newspapers and online media platforms. Findings also show that media investigative reports corroborated evidence to establish the occurrence of corruption in the restitution process. The media exposed this issue by naming and shaming those involved in the corruption (publishing their names and pictures). Amongst other things, this study recommends that the media should be considered as an important tool in the fight against corruption; those interested in exposing corruption in the media should be involved in investigative journalism that will enable them back their reports with documented evidence since corruption is a complex crime. Also, people in public offices should be compelled by law to make available information that is of public interest and good to journalists to enable them expose societal ills (like corruption), especially in public offices and spheres.

Modernist Continuities: Queer Jewish Dances, the Holocaust, and the AIDS Crisis

AbstractDuring the height of the 1980s AIDS epidemic in the United States, LGBTQ+ Jewish choreographers agitated for gay rights by using Holocaust allusions to address the AIDS crisis. Modernist practices in their work generate a long modernist midcentury that reframes established historical binaries between modernist and postmodernist concert dance modalities. This article argues that choreographers who drew upon Holocaust memory to address the AIDS crisis engendered a queer Jewish imaginary by engaging Jewishness from ethnic Ashkenazi (European) Jewish American lineages of modernist dance as social justice, Jewish cyclical temporal logics, and histories of being scapegoated for societal ills. It demonstrates how Meredith Monk's Book of Days (1988), David Dorfman's Sleep Story (1987), and Arnie Zane's The Gift/No God Logic (1987) fostered Jewish queerness in modernist artistic practices during a time that LGBTQ+ American Jews developed a queer Jewish consciousness. These choreographers’ works connect queer Jewish modernisms to varied temporalities of global modernity.

Inclusive Leadership Amid Civic Unrest Exploring Solutions to Police Brutality and Inequity

During the fall 2020 academic year, students in a graduate research course had just experienced a volatile summer with racial unrest, civic discord in the midst of a global health pandemic, which required a transition to online learning. As part of the course, and given the ongoing number of killings of unarmed Black men and women by police, the course would take a heightened approach to discussing the events of the summer of 2020, and to working towards a solution of societal ills such as police brutality, inequity and low levels of civic engagement among young people. This work, a qualitative case study using theoretical lens of inclusive leadership (Fournier, 2020) sought ways to empower scholars in a graduate research course at a Mid-Atlantic HBCU by exploring the themes of community-oriented policing, qualified immunity, civic engagement, and equity. The study found that ideas such as the use of social media, holding online forums to meet with police and starting civic groups in one’s own neighborhood can serve as a starting point.