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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Why Your Kid Wears a Hoodie Even on Hot Days
The hoodie was my go-to attire for many years. It didn't matter how hot it was outside, I could find a reason to wear a hoodie. Recently, a reader asked me about this topic. It's a question I've heard many parents ask in recent years. It is something teachers joke about now. This kid wouldn't be sweating if he took off his hoodie. We've watched kids fight off heat stroke under the Southern sun during Field Day and still refuse to take off their hoodies. If it is a style statement, their peers are rarely impressed. If anything, it brings them negative attention. I was one of those kids, and after mentioning my hoodie love in a previous article, the reader asked me the same question so many others have asked. Why do kids wear hoodies on hot days? He was especially curious about why so many Black boys wore hoodies when it made them a bigger target for racism. His question compelled me to dig a little further. Well, turns out the science doesn't say much at all. I did find an article by Marshall Shepherd, a climate scientist who writes for Forbes. He did the research as well and also found very little, but he did theorize that hoodies worked like weighted blankets. Weighted blankets help with insomnia, autism, and anxiety. Based on my experience as a former hoodie 'enthusiast' and a teacher I can see hoodies possessing similar benefits. At the very least, they may calm people who have autism and anxiety. Jason Wilson discusses hoodies in his book The Man the Moment Demands. He calls them portable caves and focuses on why Black men wear these hoodies when the weather doesn't call for it. He explains how hoodies were created to protect athletes and laborers from the elements, and they still work this way for Black boys. He argues the hoodies protect the boys from the elements of life: 'depression, abandonment, and shame' (Wilson 6). These boys don't have an outlet because they've been taught by our patriarchal society that any emotion considered 'not masculine' cannot be expressed. Wilson's claims ring true. They are similar to my own experiences. As a Black man, I know the risks of wearing hoodies, especially in certain settings. Hopefully, we all remember Trayvon Martin. I went to a predominantly white college, but I was married to my hoodies. Sure, kids avoided me when they saw me walking on the same path at night, even though we shared classes during the day. One professor criticized me and implied I wore hoodies to be Black. Again, I am Black. So, why did I continue to wear them despite the criticism? Well, it was about protection. It felt safe. Looking back, I know it drew attention to me, but it also made me feel invisible. I've always struggled with social anxiety. I'm pretty good at acting for short bursts, but I was the guy sneaking away from parties. The hoodie worked as a buffer. It was illogical, but the weighted blanket comparison makes sense. I think of children who become attached to a blanket or a stuffed animal. The hoodie is a more socially acceptable stuffed animal for a teenager. So many of my students wear hoodies. It isn't just the Black boys. Still, the idea of the hoodie offering protection holds true. The kids who wear them consistently, the ones who slump down in their chairs with their hoods up, are usually a certain type of kid. This type has a wide range, so it is maybe easier to say who the kid isn't. In most cases, this isn't the kid who is being voted prom king. This isn't the kid in a million clubs with multiple academic achievement awards. The hoodie kids are usually carrying wounds. It could be the struggle of a broken family. It could be anxiety. It could be a family that rejects them. For many Black boys, existing in a racist society with no emotional outlet is enough. These kids wrap themselves in comfort and hide from their emotions. We have a no hoods on in the school rule, but of course many students ignore this. They may take it down when requested, but they will put it back up as soon as they turn a corner. I've even seen kids get suspended for not putting their hoodie down, or not putting it down far enough. I've never had this issue in my classroom. I usually approach the kids with a softer tone. I understand why so many teachers yell with frustration. Why do they have to keep telling these kids the same thing? I was one of those hoodie kids, though. Pulling the hood up is likely a defense mechanism. I usually whisper to a kid something like, 'Remember the hood rule,' and they take it down with no complaints. Jason Wilson worked with kids as well, and he says he would tell them, 'Their choice to wear hoodies indoors may be a way of coping with inner pain." The kids respond by taking off their hoods and sitting up straighter. I may incorporate this the next time I need to have a hoodie discussion. So, why do kids wear hoodies in hot weather? I expected to write this with scientific studies backing my hypothesis. I don't have it, but I did find many people who independently drew similar conclusions to my own. Next time you see a kid wearing a hoodie, don't give them a hard time. Consider having a discussion with them. If you are close, remind them that their emotions are valid, and you are a safe space for them. Who knows, they may take the hoodie off and start talking. This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of LG Ware's work on Medium.
Forbes
23-03-2025
- Science
- Forbes
Scientific Research Makes Life Better Even You Don't Understand It
For the past few years, I have grown a variety of peppers in my garden. I use them to make a pepper sauce. The sauce has to age for one year in the dark corner of our pantry. I don't necessarily understand it, and it may seem trivial. However, it's just better when it comes time to shower them over a batch of collard greens. Science is like that too. We may not understand all of the motivation, words, experiments, and topics, but basic scientific research just makes life better. This essay was inspired by a comment on social media, which implied that if scientific research was not applied or essential, then it has no value. In 2014 Liz Karagianis wrote something that needs a signal boost today. She said, 'Why pursue basic research simply for the sake of curiosity, discovery, knowledge, when applied research specifically tackles the world's biggest problems––poverty, energy, disease, or building new businesses to boost the economy? Faculty say it's because basic research is the process of creation, and without it, applications vanish.' Homemade Pepper Sauce. Marshall Shepherd Writing in an issue of MIT Spectrum, Karagianis went on to point out that GPS, which you will likely used today, benefited from a hydrogen maser. What's that? It is a type of atomic clock and is central to how GPS works. Professor Emeritus Dan Kleppner who was involved in some that early work admits that his team did foresee their work leading to satellite-based global positioning systems. Insulin is another scientific marvel that was not planned. Two researchers in the 1880s were investigating how the pancreas contributes to digestion. They took a pancreas out of dog, and flies swarmed around the canine urine. That was a clue that sugar content was high. They had actually given the dog diabetes. A few decades later further research and development discovered that insulin is produced by the pancreas. Surprise R&D breakthroughs like Penicillin and X-Rays are further documented on the website. My point is that scientific research that leads to applications does not always follow a recipe, flowchart or business plan. Discovery, mistakes, 'do overs,' and replication are essential to basic research. Raise your virtual hand if you took any type of medication yesterday. That pill didn't appear out of "medical fairy land." There were years of R&D on molecules, cell biology, enzymes and other things you probably don't understand or that might seem frivolous without proper context. Basic research is a cornerstone of discovery, even if it seems wasteful or trivial from our narrow perspectives. As a life lesson, I often remind my kids to expand their radius. What do I mean? The area of a circle is found by multiplying Pi by the square of radius. Since Pi doesn't change, the area of a circle is increased by expanding the radius. I told my kids that by expanding their radius of experiences, perspectives, travel destinations, and viewpoints it will increase their area of understanding. How does that lesson apply to this discussion? Let's say you stumble upon an article or news story about research on angular momentum. A narrow radius of perspective might lead you to conclude that research is wasteful or a meaningless science project. An expanded perspective might prompt you consider that research might lead to a more efficient irrigation system for farmers or a new impact resistant seat in an automobile. Who knows? In science communication, we often target messaging for the public at about the eighth-grade level. Let's face it, science classes were not always the most popular ones in high school. Scientific literacy, personal biases, and a barrage of information from unsubstantiated but accessible information (blogs, You Tube, or social media "echo chambers") shape contemporary perspectives on science. Science, technology, engineering, and math experts must broadly engage and move beyond the comfort zones of the ivory tower. Your aunt or neighbor probably doesn't read the scientific journals or go to technical conferences. Broader engagement is needed to explain the 'so what' of why research matters and to counter misinformation or disinformation. The Academy must also remove barriers that disincentivize scholars from engaging. Today, STEM research crosses, intermingles or works with social, behavioral, health and humanities disciplines too. Just this week, a new review paper that I was a co-author on was published. The topic was heat-related risks associated with maternal and fetal health. I am an atmospheric scientist by training and never had publishing in medical journals on my career bingo card. However, challenges we face today will require multiple disciplines working together at times. It will still require those studies that may have odd names and levels of complexity that we may not understand. The true irony is that many social media comments about frivolous science or basic STEM R&D are made on a cell phone. These ubiquitous devices actually evolved from basic research on physics, circuitry, electrons, heat transfer, and artificial intelligence. Our lives are better today because of medicines, GPS, and yes, even cell phones.
