Neophilia

Today's society is so quick to judge something for being different than what they're used to. We live in a colorful place, yet many of us strictly stay in our black and white bubble. This is my journey of trying new things and experiencing all that the world has to offer.

[notesfromaneophiliac-blog]

Documentary Reaction

I thought that the documentary was quite frightening and scares me a lot for my younger sister since she is always on her tablet or phone. I think parents aren’t used to being responsible for teaching their kids what’s right from wrong in person, but also online. It was very hard for me to grasp the concept of 2 little girls killing their friend but trying to place the blame on someone was even harder for me. Is it the children’s fault for exposing themselves to things like Slender man so young, the various websites’ fault for not having stricter age policies, the parents fault for not being more invested in what their children were doing in their spare time or the creators of Slender man themselves for putting the idea of killing in people’s heads? Another thing that is hard for me to grasp is the punishment for children who do things like this. Watching the interviews are especially interesting because the kids seem so innocent and don’t seem to have enough knowledge on the process of killing to lie about their actions. It doesn’t seem right to lock up a child for the rest of their life when they haven’t even lived yet but then again, they took that same thing away from another child. I believe in the end, it is easiest to place blame on the advancement of technology. We rely on it everyday and there’s no way we would be able to go back to a world without it. By allowing children to be exposed so young, we just have to teach them right from wrong, monitor them a little closer, and hope they make the best decisions for themselves and others. 

[notesfromaneophiliac-blog]

Annotation #8

SyMLA citation: 

The Lancet. “Abortion Narratives: Moving from Statistics to Stories.” The Art of Medicine, 2018.

Summary: This journal article is about a variety of stories from women who’ve had to deal with abortion, whether they’ve wanted to or not. Some of these stories talk about having to travel to another country for their medical procedure, dealing with cancer during pregnancy, and other huge risks that these brave women made for their potential baby. Many women also faced troubles with the law, as some of them had illegal and unsafe abortions in order to avoid a healthcare facility where they would feel judged or possibly turned away.

Evaluation: This source is definitely credible because it is a scholarly article and uses stories from real women who’ve experienced abortion first hand. The article was also published by “Elsevier Limited” which is a publishing company whose main purpose is to progress science and advance healthcare through the use of global information and analytics.

Synthesis: This source will be very beneficial to my research because the women in this article have credibility that I can’t possibly have, first hand experience. Using stories from real women with real emotions with allow me to use pathos in my argument and hopefully make the audience sympathize with the women going through these physical and emotional problems.

[notesfromaneophiliac-blog]

Research Progress Report

After today, I have a full list of all 11 sources I included in my working bibliography as well as my literature review done. I have officially narrowed down my research question and have found at least 3 main points I want to use in my argument. These include controversy around Planned Parenthood, real women sharing their personal abortion stories, and generic facts/risks of getting an abortion. I think I might struggle slightly with the Planned Parenthood controversy just because pro-choice and pro-life is such a sensitive topic for some people, so trying to respectfully argue pro-choice may be difficult. Something I might end up exploring later is the influence of religious beliefs and politics on society’s views of abortion. I have about 2 sources that could support this topic but they are longer articles and I still want to read more into them before making it a main point in my paper. I have a document started for my research paper but haven’t added onto it too much which means I am slightly behind the timeline I created for my research proposal. I’m hoping to stay on track with this timeline by making sure I have 3-4 pages completed by March 29th, so I will be prepared for the peer review the following week. 

[notesfromaneophiliac-blog]

Research Progress Report

So far, I feel like I have accomplished what I’ve needed to for this project. I have never been assigned an argumentative research paper before, so the process is still somewhat new to me. I have adjusted a few things, with the help of the feedback from my research proposal, but I would still like a better research question, as mine appears too broad. I feel confident that the sources I’ve compiled will be very beneficial to me in my argument, but I still need to gather a few more before I turn in my working bibliography and literary review on Friday. These last few sources will be physical copies I will pick up from the library, so I need to force myself to get there this week. By next week, I would also like to have a final research question so I can start really using my sources to build my argument. I’m struggling so much with this part because I want to use Planned Parenthood in my argument, as this is where most of the controversy and protests occur, but simply narrowing it down to abortion and contraceptives for women may make it easier for the audience to follow.

[notesfromaneophiliac-blog]

What interesting thing do you want to share about your topic?

There are a lot of interesting things to share about my topic but the one that stands out most to me is the various set of reasonings behind each abortion a woman has gotten. I say this because people are so quick to judge and even protest outside of these clinics and it can be very disrespectful. I saw a post on Twitter this week about a woman who had to maneuver her way around a crowd of protesters in the parking lot who were screaming things like “murderer” and “baby killer” at her. Little do they know that she was there for different birth control because she was getting treatment for cancer and needed a different kind of dosage. I believe it is no one’s business but your own as to why you get an abortion but I know that a huge percentage of women don’t intentionally go into the clinic filled with joy that they are destroying a potential child so hearing evil chants as you walk in does nothing but emotional harm. Whether you are having the procedure for medical reasons, because you aren’t ready for a child or because you and you husband can’t afford a fourth child, it should be no one’s concern but your own. If anything triggers me about my topic it is the amount of concern certain people have for others who have nothing to do with them. Their beliefs may be different than yours but treating others with respect is so important to me. 

[notesfromaneophiliac-blog]

Annotation #5

MLA citation: 

Hill, Nicholas J., et al. “‘My Religion Picked My Birth Control’: The Influence of Religion on Contraceptive Use.” Journal of Religion and Health, vol. 53, no. 3, 2013.

Summary: This scholarly journal is about how religion affects contraception use, as well as incorporating how cost/income plays a role in this relationship. The authors provide a number of theories and assumptions to support the data they’ve collected. Their data suggests that many people affiliated with religion are likely to use contraceptive methods because they fear getting pregnant and the shame they’d receive from their peers would be too unbearable. The article suggests that religious individuals, specifically Catholics in this case, are actually more likely to use contraceptives than people not associated with any type of religion.

Evaluation: The authors are very reliable, and their knowledge and skills are each important in the writing of this journal. Nicholas J. Hill is an associate professor of economics at Jackson State University, so he plays a big role in the reliability of the economic research. Mxolisi Siwatu is a sociology professor at Texas Southern University so he plays a huge role in the study of the people involved with the research, and how their interactions and affiliations play a role in how society views them. Finally, Alexander K. Robinson was the Master of Urban Planning at the University of Michigan when the journal was published in 2013 but has since then earned his J.D. degree at the University of Chicago. His experience helped the other authors, as he brought a political aspect to the table.

Synthesis: I hope to use the information in this scholarly journal to bring religion into my topic, as I believe it is a pretty big(but underlying) influence when creating laws, as many political figures choose not to share their religious affiliation when changing policies. I hope to use this article alongside an article related to the benefits of birth control to help explain that religious women deserve proper healthcare too and shouldn’t be shamed by their peers for responsibly dealing with their bodies.

[notesfromaneophiliac-blog]

What do you want to learn about your research topic? What motivates you to do so?

There are a lot of things that I am capable of learning about through my research topic. Because birth control is such a current issue, I am hoping to gain perspective more than anything because if males feel they have a reasonable excuse for limiting birth control for women, I genuinely want to hear it. I think that I have trapped myself in this bubble of only having one opinion on the issue so more than anything I want to gain an open mind from my topic. I also would like to educate myself, both through general birth control facts, including the benefits and the side effects or other downsides. I am motivated to do this not only to see how other women are affected by this form of healthcare but to inform myself about what is happening in my own body and what could be stopped if this option was taken away from me.

Another thing I’d like to learn about is the political aspect of the issue specifically because this is something that I am not particularly invested in. I’d really like to be more familiar with what is going on when I vote for political candidates because that is something I’m able to participate in this year and I never feel confident when voting if I don’t have prior knowledge. Being able to see how everyone’s input impacts the women receiving this healthcare is a bigger deal than most people realize.

[notesfromaneophiliac-blog]

Annotation #4- Research Paper

MLA Citation: Stein, Joel. “Body Politics.” TIME, 5 Mar. 2012. 

Summary: This periodical, titled “Body Politics,” discusses an issue in 2012 when their was an argument on whether or not women working for religious institutions should receive the same health benefits as those not affiliated with religion. The author took the issue very seriously, discussing how one women needed these benefits because of an ovarian condition. Jokingly, the author also created a fake panel of women where they argued that men are capable of many things without an erection or the benefit of receiving Viagra and yet there are women out there in desperate need of the pill who aren’t getting that proper healthcare.

Evaluation: Joel Stein is a reliable source because he is a write for TIME magazine as has been doing his job there for over 19 years and has many, many published pieces of work. He is well liked in the writing community for his humor and sarcasm regarding politics. 

Synthesis: This will be helpful to use with my other annotations because I really like the aspect of comparing healthcare benefits of women and healthcare benefits of men. Using a fake panel of committee members may seem silly or unprofessional but it is so eye opening to see the reality of it all because men truly do have silly benefits for issues such as erectile dysfunction when women are facing real healthcare problems. I plan on using another source regarding all of the benefits of birth control for women and relating it back to this source.

[notesfromaneophiliac-blog]

What is your research topic? How did you choose it?

My research topic is “Why should birth control be available for women?”

Recent debates in government about whether or not birth control should be available have really sparked my attention. I find it really difficult to process the fact that men in government positions think they have the right to make decisions regarding women’s health. By making things like abortions and birth control unavailable for women is not only degrading but frightens me for my future. I have never been one to strongly voice my opinion about things like the feminist movement but it hits differently when you know changes like limited birth control will affect you directly. For example, if I didn’t have birth control my freshman year of high school, my self image would have been awful because of my acne. Birth control helped me cope with my insecurities and continues to do so today. At this point in my life, it has also put my boyfriend and I at ease knowing that we can continue to live our youthful lives without the worry of becoming teen parents. No matter what a woman’s personal reasoning is for using birth control, it is something that should always be readily available. I could go on and on about the importance of these options but my research paper will surely cover it all. 

[notesfromaneophiliac-blog]

Annotation - Research Paper

MLA citation:  

Moss, Kimberly. “‘Do No HARM—UNLESS SHE WANTS AN ABORTION OR BIRTH CONTROL:" THE CONSCIENCE MOVEMENT'S IMPACT ON WOMEN'S HEALTH.” Texas Journal of Women & the Law, 1 Mar. 2010.

Summary: This journal, called “Do No HARM—UNLESS SHE WANTS AN ABORTION OR BIRTH CONTROL:" THE CONSCIENCE MOVEMENT'S IMPACT ON WOMEN'S HEALTH,” explains the struggle of women who’ve experienced lack of healthcare. This can be related to extreme circumstances such as rape, incest, or a medical emergency as well as the simple realization that a woman is not ready for motherhood. No matter the issue, many women lack the proper healthcare they need because of doctors’ Hippocratic Oath to not harm another human being, society’s concerns with ethics, and more. The author uses laws and amendments to better explain what women’s rights in healthcare looked like in the 1970′s and what it looks like today. She continues to elaborate on how much impact this has on women around the world. Finally, the journal concludes by drawing attention to concerns with cost and difficulty of such healthcare and some of the bias opinions/policies of certain health care providers. 

Evaluation: The author of this academic journal is Kimberly Moss. She is a credible source as she received her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Florida and was a Juris Doctor candidate in 2010 at the University of Texas School of Law, which you can only qualify for after three years of law school. Her language throughout the journal provide a clear understanding of women’s health and draws close attention to the government aspect of the problem, which she can clearly elaborate on because of her extensive experience in the field. 

Synthesis: I expect to use this information by educating myself more on the topic of birth control at a more federal level. Looking at the history of such laws  and what women’s health looks like today will definitely help me link healthcare to women’s rights. Understanding both the doctor’s/pharmacist’s perspective as well as the vulnerable women’s perspective will build my counterargument too.

[notesfromaneophiliac-blog]

How do you research within your fandom?

As a ‘hooligan’ there are a variety of ways I like to research Bruno Mars. The easiest way I do this is by looking up fan blogs and fan posts written by people a little more invested in the fandom than me. I like this specifically because it isn’t a page of just facts, but also opinions from people who share my interests. I also get to a point where I just really want to know a lot about Bruno so I look up facts online from various websites, some which were made specifically for the fandom. There’s no real reason why I do this but I guess knowing more about Bruno Mars makes me feel closer to him. As creepy as that sounds, I feel like this is a common thing fans do to feel on top of their fandom.

My favorite way to research within this fandom, however, is by watching documentaries. I actually like doing this with all of the fandoms I’m involved in and even find new interests by watching topics I’m not familiar with. I’m a visual learner as well so incorporating videos and pictures with research makes it a lot more fun to obtain information. 

[notesfromaneophiliac-blog]

How are you involved in your fandom? Do you feel pressured?

Out of all the fandoms I am a part of, the Bruno Mars fandom is definitely what I’m most involved in. I have been listening to Bruno songs ever since I was young enough to memorize the lyrics and still like to joke around with ring pops when the song “Marry You” plays. However, after exploring more in class of what makes someone a fan of something, I’ve realized I know way less than I thought. For example, I have never really referred to myself as a ‘Hooligan’ but this is what the fandom calls themselves. I also don’t know much about his life before music and I think this is often a controversial subject with fans because they feel the need to judge the amount of Bruno knowledge you have. I love Bruno Mars not only because of his amazing dance moves and killer songwriting skills, but also for his charm and performances. I always heard how awesome of a performer he is but had never known what fans meant until I experienced it for myself at Lollapalooza this past summer, which was truly a masterpiece. He grasps his audience’s full attention through dance moves, fireworks, costumes, and more. I would thoroughly enjoy experiencing it again.

I’d say I’m most involved in this fandom by simply listening to his music and voting for him when he receives nominations for artist awards. The songs are my ultimate pick-me-up and a road trip with me would undoubtedly include album after album. Because I’m not super involved with online pages where I can interact with other fans, I don’t think I would ever feel pressured in this fandom. The most pressure I guess I feel would be when a new single is released and I’m “not enough of a true fan” to preorder it. This concept is silly to me because if I’m a fan of his music, I obviously want to hear the song, but why not wait so you don’t have to waste money? 

[notesfromaneophiliac-blog]

What fandom are you profiling for your project?

The fandom that we decided to profile is the horror fandom. Although this is a broad topic, we believe it will allow us to find sub-fandoms within the bigger fandom of horror. There are quite a few things that I think are related to the horror fandom. This includes fan art, music, movies, TV shows, documentaries, and maybe even conventions. One of the reasons I became interested in this topic was because of my obsession with the TV series, American Horror Story. Although this is an example of a specific sub-fandom, I think my group and I can find fun ways to connect it to many other topics involved with horror. Besides, if you are interested in one horror show, you are mostly likely going to be interested in a movie involving a similar plot too. 

There are many things I’d like to learn about this fandom. First off, are the majority of fans simply entertained by the idea of horrific things or do they more so love the feeling of adrenaline that comes over them when they experience something fearful and suspenseful? I have also realized there is quite a stigma for horror movies ending badly. Does the horror fandom agree or do they find these comments offensive? Another thing I’d like to learn about is what an extreme fan of horror looks like. How does society view these types of people and why? Finally, does the horror fandom participate in conventions and/or dress up? I understand Halloween is one thing but I have never heard of anything other than this holiday in relevance to coming together with other fans and dressing up.

[notesfromaneophiliac-blog]

What fandom do I participate in and how?

Out of all the things that I am interested in, the fandom I’d say I enjoy the most is traveling. Although I am only a “beginning” fan, having only been to a few travel destinations, those moments of new discoveries are definitely my favorite thing ever. There is something about the newness of a place I haven’t explored yet that makes me want to try out everything there is to offer there. We get so used to our everyday routine of going to school, eating our American cheese burgers and wearing our skinny jeans that we don’t take a step back to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. This, in fact, is why traveling is so close to my heart. It pushes me outside my comfort zone and allows me to try out the religious practices of other countries, eat a meal with wild ingredients, wear a new “trendy” outfit and observe how others interact with one another. 

There are many ways in which you can participate in the fandom of traveling, even on a low budget. As I mentioned, I’m only beginning my traveling journey so there are many things I am still learning. One thing I do to keep up with my traveling passion, even without leaving my bed, is online browsing. There are so many opportunities to save money on flights and hotels just by signing up for airline emails/rewards and downloading apps that compare prices for you. My favorite right now is the Skyscanner App, which tells you exactly when prices will drop and what weekends have the best deals for a variety of destinations. Fortunately, I also have a father who travels for work often through United which allows my family to earn points for free flights. I’d like to make my own account sometime soon to start earning points too. When all else fails and I don’t feel like putting in the effort that week to research the lowest prices, I still participate in the traveling fandom by following bloggers and youtubers who live the lifestyle I strive to have. They post tons of pictures,videos, and stories about their numerous adventures and sometimes give tips for traveling cheap as well. This not only motivates me to keep working for what I love but it also gives me different perspectives of how unique every place is without physically visiting it myself.