WHAT. IS. THIS.
Via Truth Revolt:
A study conducted by PLOS ONE attempts to make a correlation between racist Google searches and how that negatively affects the health of the surrounding black community.
The study explains its methods: PLOS ONE used Google data from between 2004-2007 of searches for “n*gger” and “n*ggers,” but excluded searches for “nigga” and “niggas.” Their data showed connections between negative racial attitudes in a particular area where beliefs are mixed about interracial marriage and those searches appearing most in areas where the percentage of black residents was higher.
But what they were really looking for, and what they define as the purpose of this study, “was to examine the association between an Internet search-based measure of area racism and Black mortality rates in the US.”
Looking at the deaths from chronic diseases of blacks age 25 and over, PLOS ONE concluded that the undercurrent of racism within an area directly affects the health of its black population. From the study:
We examined deaths among those 25 years of age and older, which represent the largest burden of mortality from chronic diseases that are likely to be influenced by social stressors stemming from racism…