How anti-Asian racism likely played role in Atlanta killings

+ it's easy to misunderstand disaster warnings – with deadly consequences US Edition - Today's top story: Racism is behind anti-Asian American violence, even when it's not a hate crime [View in browser]( US Edition | 19 March 2021 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair The killings of eight people – including six Asian American women – in Atlanta have increased concern about anti-Asian violence, which has been on the rise in the past year. While the suspect has not been charged with a hate crime – and may not be – Amherst College sociologist Pawan Dhingra explains why racism likely still played a role. Dhingra describes the long history of anti-Asian prejudice in the U.S. and points out that [race and gender can be factors in violence]( – even if the alleged perpetrator doesn’t say so directly. Also today: - [Ethics of idleness: Is doing nothing a sin or a virtue?]( - [Why you’re not as rational as you think]( - [How companies can help fight vaccine skepticism]( Jeff Inglis Politics + Society Editor Children attend a March 17 vigil at Clemente Park in Lowell, Massachusetts, for the victims of the shooting spree in Atlanta. Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images [Racism is behind anti-Asian American violence, even when it’s not a hate crime]( Pawan Dhingra, Amherst College Some racism isn't criminal at all but still is the result of deep-seated and long-standing racial prejudices. Environment + Energy - [Losing cultural context in emergency communication can be a matter of life and death]( Amer Hamad Issa Abukhalaf, University of Florida; Jason von Meding, University of Florida Misunderstanding disaster warnings can have catastrophic consequences. New research shows how easily modern emergency communications can get lost in translation. Politics + Society - [Closed borders, travel bans and halted immigration: 5 ways COVID-19 changed how – and where – people move around the world]( Mary A. Shiraef, University of Notre Dame Last year, 189 countries – home to roughly 65% of the global population – cut themselves off from the world at some point. Borders are now reopening and travel resuming, but normal is a ways off. - [4 reasons no president should want to give a press conference]( David E. Clementson, University of Georgia While democracy requires accountability from presidents, they may lose stature, not gain it, by holding a press conference. - [Police and civilians disagree on when body camera footage should be made public]( Dan Bromberg, University of New Hampshire; Étienne Charbonneau, École nationale d'administration publique (ENAP) Nonwhites were less willing to wait for an internal investigation to wrap up before seeing the footage. Arts + Culture - [‘Doing nothing’ is all the rage – is it a form of resistance, or just an indulgence for the lucky few?]( Ingrid Nelson, Amherst College The ethics of idleness have been debated for thousands of years. Economy + Business - [3 ways employers could help fight vaccine skepticism]( Rita Men, University of Florida Surveys suggest people trust companies more than government and the media, showing they have an important role in helping end the pandemic. Science + Technology - [Context influences the decisions you make – whether you’re a homebuyer, a juror or a physician]( Jennifer Trueblood, Vanderbilt University Cognitive scientists are investigating the ways relative factors like new options and the order they're presented influence your choices and beliefs. Health - [The pandemic recession has pushed a further 9.8 million Americans into food insecurity]( Craig Gundersen, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign A team of experts are projecting that after a steep increase in 2020, food insecurity rates will dip in 2021. But behind this is a racial gap – rates for Black Americans will remain stubbornly high. - [How effective is the first shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine?]( William Petri, University of Virginia The vaccine rollout is underway, but what happens if there is a supply disruption? Would it be feasible to change strategy and give more people a first dose? An expert analyzes the data. From our International Editions - [Tanzania’s John Magufuli: a brilliant start but an ignominious end]( Aikande Clement Kwayu, University of Wisconsin-Madison He came into office with a reputation for making broken systems work, but as he began his second presidential term John Magufuli became known as a ruthless and ambitious authoritarian. - [‘Pelé’ doc kicks up questions on race, violence and democracy in Brazil]( Luisa Farah Schwartzman, University of Toronto Although Brazil is formally a democracy, the practice of torture is ongoing, especially for Black Brazilians. Soccer creates an illusion of fairness is which is increasingly hard to sustain. - [Survey shows 32% of British women don’t feel safe walking alone at night – compared to just 13% of men]( Rory Fitzgerald, City, University of London Across 29 countries, there are wide disparities between how women feel about going out alone and how men feel. 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