@article{THESIS,
      recid = {6095},
      author = {Jiao, Jieyu },
      title = {Whitening of Milk on Reddit},
      publisher = {University of Chicago},
      school = {M.A.},
      address = {2023-06},
      number = {THESIS},
      abstract = {Lactose intolerance, a genetic phenomenon that occurs  naturally, becomes a controversial topic as some white  nationalists make lactose persistence a point of the  genetic or racial superiority of White people. This study  focuses on analyzing Reddit discourses on lactose  intolerance and genetics. It aims to answer the following  three questions: Does Reddit discourse on lactose  intolerance and genetics expose any evidence of a strong  association between whiteness and lactose intolerance? Is  there any evidence that reveals the association between  lactose intolerance and the feeling of racial inferiority?  Is there any evidence revealing that genetic ancestry tests  are more like racial projects to support white supremacy?  The study uses the combination of quantitative methods,  such as LDA topic modeling, word co-occurrence, and a  qualitative technique – content analysis to analyze Reddit  data related to lactose intolerance and genetics from 2017  to 2022. It finds that Reddit users associate lactose  intolerance closely with Asian population and Chinese food  is being criticized due to the prevalence of lactose  intolerance in Chinese population, whereas European food is  privileged. Some users also associate the feeling of  inferiority to lactose intolerance, even though the user is  aware that lactose intolerance is attribute to genetic  mutation. Lastly, genetic testing is often used by some  people to prove or confirm their whiteness. This study  benefits from using both quantitative and qualitative  methods to conduct analysis that requires human  interpretation, in the context of social media monitoring  on sensitive language and topics related to racism. On the  other hand, future studies need to expand the dataset and  the platform of data sources.},
      url = {http://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/6095},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.6082/uchicago.6095},
}