The Origins and the Politically Productive Future of the Hypersexualization of Asian American Women: Media Influences and Everyday Impacts

This thesis seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the hypersexualization of Asian American women. Hypersexualization, defined as the assumption of non-normative sexual characteristics inherent to a person’s race or gender, affects all aspects of the lives of Asian American women. Sexual perversity has been assigned to the Asian female body without their consent, ranging from intense purity or over-sexualization. In this thesis, the term “Asian American” primarily foregrounds diasporic communities from Korea, Japan, China, and Vietnam. This project argues that hegemonic structures of the U.S. Empire have created hypersexualized media representations of Asian and Asian American women. These representations deny this community of agency, autonomy, and safety in their sexualities. Using historical and media analyses, I first provide an understanding of hypersexualized stereotypes in pop culture. I then utilize contemporary case studies and interviews to explore the impacts of the subject on Asian American women’s romantic, professional, and emotional lives. To conclude this thesis, I discuss the theoretical frameworks of intersectionality, “productive perversity,” and Audre Lorde’s “erotic” in order to look towards a liberated future in which Asian American women can be imagined and accepted inclusive of their complex, unique sexualities – not seen as inferior because of them. My research on the hypersexualization of Asian American women has helped me understand the ways this issue has affected my life and will continue to do so. I hope that this thesis makes other Asian American women feel seen in their experiences with hypersexualization

Weaponizing Drag: Political Personas of Drag Queens in Russia, Post-1990

The concept of “Russian drag” seems like a paradox- how can this distinctly queer art form exist in a country with such draconian laws against queer people? Yet drag has existed in Russia for more than a century, and in the post-Soviet era, there are more drag queens in Russia than ever before. Operating through Judith Butler’s conception of the performance of gender, this paper examines the phenomenon of drag in Russia, as well as the unique “Russian” aesthetic of drag, and the influence of American pop culture and drag on Russia. Verka Serduchka, a drag queen of Ukrainian origin, acts as a case study for the aesthetics of drag queens who are successful in Russia and the post-Soviet world at large

The Postliberals’ Folly: A Critical Review of The Works of Patrick Deneen and Adrian Vermeule

Liberalism has become a focal point for criticism on the Global Right. Among the strongest critics are the post-liberals, primarily Catholic intellectuals who decry extreme individualism and the damaging impact of the market economy on community ties and the environment. While the post-liberals recycle some compelling arguments against liberalism, I contend that their proposed alternative is fundamentally flawed. Before presenting post-liberal arguments, I briefly unpack the roots of liberalism and some of its important right-wing critics to create a context for understanding the current post-liberal movement. Then I examine Patrick Deneen’s and Adrian Vermeule’s manipulations of history and philosophy. Finally, I present philosophical responses to Deneen and Vermeule’s critiques of liberalism. My delineation of the flaws in the work of these two prominent and influential right-wing intellectuals is meant to stand as a critique of the post-liberal approach more generally

What Do Pronouns and Robots Have in Common? Examining the Subversion of Gender through Case Studies in English Pronouns and Robot Embodiments

In this paper, I examine ways to progress towards gender justice and more equitable representations of gender and gender expressions through two case studies: representations of gender in English pronouns and in embodiments of robots. For the pronouns case, I argue that we transition towards using a universal “they” for all modes of communication by adopting the universal “they” in spoken communications and maintaining a variety of pronouns in written communication. “They/them” would serve as a category that does not denote any gender, and 1) weaken the influence and presence of gender in daily conversations and 2) provide the same level of recognition and distinction for people’s gender identities to advance gender justice while we have gender categories. For the robot case, I argue that we should add robots that possess a mix of feminine and masculine features to our current array of robots. This is because we cannot achieve full gender (expression) neutrality in robot appearance like we could for pronouns. We are empirically found to attribute gender to robots even if they are designed to be neutral. So, creating robots that would proliferate the representation of gender (expressions) would be the next best strategy for weakening the role of binary gender norms and for recognizing individuals of nonbinary genders and non-conforming expressions equally with others. I hope these two proposals can serve as a starting point to other facets of gender (expression) representations. We would apply the neutralizing approach for pronouns to cases where undermining gender through the elimination of gender from the conversation is possible. We would apply the mixed-approach for robots to proliferate the representations we have for gender (expression) beyond the binary and weaken the influence of gender in cases where taking gender out altogether is difficult

Exploring the Potential Role of Fungal Communities on Forest Restoration

Deforestation is becoming a more prominent issue than ever before as it endangers a number of beneficial ecosystem services and worsens climate change by increasing carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. Thus, research focus has shifted towards restoring deforested areas to help recapture and store the emitted carbon as a way to mitigate carbon-induced global warming. However, researchers are beginning to understand that restoration goes beyond the scope of just restoring trees. Restoring the soil community is essential to providing a successful foundation for reforestation, and can be achieved through the use of mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi can form mutualistic relationships with a plant, increasing their chances of surviving in harsh environments. Recent studies emphasize the importance of the identity of a fungus, the impact of fungi on seedlings, fungal influences on the overall nutrient consumption of a host plant, and lastly, the major effects on biodiversity both below-and above-ground. The research shows that fungi are a viable option to consider when discussing reforestation projects, as the usage of mycorrhizae significantly improves the success of reforestation efforts. Future research should continue to focus on the benefits of fungi in different areas but should consider comparing forests before deforestation to the reforested area aided by fungi in order to examine whether or not there are particular differences between the two that can be accredited to fungi

Understanding Empathy: Exploring Power Relations, Group Dynamics, and Counter-dominance in Shaping Outgroup Attitudes

This article is a literature review of how the context of group dynamics, power relations, and counter-dominance change our understanding of empathy towards outgroups. A large focus of current psychological research around empathy aims to better understand empathy in improving intergroup relations. However, many of the current studies measure the perspectives of the majority (high-power) groups, while failing to take into account the differences in the perspectives of the minority (low-power) groups, for whom empathy does not predict positive intergroup attitudes. In order to look at the importance of group dynamics and power relations in understanding empathy, I analyze different studies both in the interpersonal and intergroup contexts. Furthermore, when analyzing these studies within the different types of empathy contexts, I illustrate the prominent role of counter-dominance in explaining why empathy relates to positive attitudes toward subordinate groups but negative attitudes toward dominant groups. Additionally, I use counter-dominance to explain differences and similarities in findings when examining different intergroup empathy contexts such as group empathy and attitudinal empathy. In explaining these similarities and differences, I illustrate how counter-dominance is important to understanding empathy in the context of intergroup relations due to its ability to positively predict positive attitudes towards low-power groups and negatively predict attitudes towards high-powered groups

Dynamic Connectedness Between Crypto Mining Operations and ERCOT Power Prices

The state of Texas has welcomed a growing fleet of bitcoin mining operations on grounds of bolstering further renewable buildout in the state. Cheap wholesale electricity and demand response programs where miners get paid for power curtailments. Most recently, Bitcoin mining activity is estimated to represent 2.2% of baseload in ERCOT resulting in an additional $1.8 billion in power costs for the rest of ERCOT. These figures are likely to grow as more mining operations connect to the grid and mining on the blockchain becomes more computationally demanding. Currently, very little is understood about how these miners interact with the grid, attempts to survey miners on their power usage have been unsuccessful. In lieu of public reporting, a growing literature has attempted to determine the environmental and monetary costs associated with this growing industry in the state. This paper attempts to explain how Bitcoin mining operations interact with the grid through time-varying econometric techniques. Significant causal effects from Bitcoin mining energy consumption to power prices are identified, suggesting that mining operations may have considerable influence on the ERCOT power market. These results highlight a risk for policy makers and market participants who rely on accurate forecasting to manage operational and financial risk within the ERCOT market

CEO Characteristics That Lead to Extreme Outperformance: A Statistical Analysis of William Thorndike’s “The Outsiders”

What makes a high-performing CEO? What CEOs should you invest in? These are the questions that the Board of Directors, headhunters, academics, and investors all seek the answer to. This paper explores the answer to this question by examining CEO performance at the extremes. Inspired by the work of William N. Thorndike’s “The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success,” this study expands upon his methodology, employing a statistical approach to analyze a broader dataset of CEOs over the past thirty years. Using a logit model of hyper-outperforming versus hyper-underperforming CEOs, it assesses the significance of individual CEO characteristics and capital allocation strategies as indicators. The research reveals a mixed result, with only some of Thorndike’s variables being statistically significant and others having opposite impacts. Additionally, while involvement in multiple outside boards correlates negatively with CEO performance, leading or working for outside companies has a positive impact, suggesting a nuanced view of CEO engagement outside their own firm. This paper challenges traditional assumptions of effective corporate leadership and provides new insights into the evolving role of CEOs in generating corporate success. It helps aid in the question and offers a fresh perspective on what makes a CEO truly exceptional in today\u27s dynamic markets

Predicting Financial Failure for Retail and Hospitality Companies in the United States

This paper determines bankruptcy predictors during turbulent economic times for specific consumer facing industries. I specifically investigate the predictors of bankruptcy in the retail and hospitality industries as they are some of the most consumer-spending dependent sectors. I hypothesize that unprofitable, highly levered, and cash flow dependent companies in the retail and hospitality industries are more likely to go bankrupt even during turbulent economic conditions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The model used is a logistic regression along with numerous economic variable combinations, including solvency, liquidity, and profitability ratios. A sample of retail and hospitality (RH) firms and non-retail and non-hospitality (NRH) firms totalling 16,690 between 2017 and 2022 were identified from the COMPUSTAT database. The significance of the coefficients for each variable in the model was evaluated by using the t-statistic corresponding to each coefficient’s value. The overall models for RH and NRH are significant at a ∝‐level of 0.05