In examining the popular culture of the United States today, one would find themselves hard-pressed to avoid mentions of texts and films that fall within the fantasy genre. In fact, many works within this genre find themselves amongst the ranks of the best-selling books and movies of all time (Moor; Harding and Thompson). Outside of their economic success, these stories have become an integral part of American culture. Extending from the domination of the entertainment industry, the characters and stories of the fantasy genre have influenced the collective ideals and perspectives of the United States population. Websites such as DeviantArt and Archive of Our Own serve as testament to how these stories inspire their fans, boasting thousands of pieces of artwork and writing that have been inspired by various fantasy texts and films. Beyond this, characters featured in these stories find themselves being applied elsewhere, ranging from their prevalence in online meme culture to their use during times of political strife. A notable example of this is a photograph of a protestor holding up a large sign boasting the claim that “Dumbledore wouldn’t let this happen,” which later became viral and was posted across several media platforms (whiskey-tango). The importance and impact of the fantasy genre can clearly be seen to take on many forms, and can be observed as playing a larger role than simple entertainment in the lives of the American public. While all of these examples highlight the deeply embedded nature of these tales in popular culture, it begs the question as to how and why these stories got to this status.

Unfortunately, most Americans do not know about the Hindutva movement and how it operates. As such, the 2019 “Howdy Modi!” event shocked many people who were confused as to why, as a minority group, so many Hindu Americans were supporting Trump. Many Americans, because of their lack of knowledge, are unaware of the divisive and even violent nature of the Hindutva movement. As such, many Americans minimize the importance of this growing alliance between Trump and Modi. This ignores the severity of the Hindutva movement and makes its activity in America appear to be a sporadic and unorganized phenomenon. In this thesis, I examine the relatively recent emergence of Hindu nationalist support for Trump by examining the historical conditions in both India and America that caused this alliance to form. I analyzes the ideologies of two organizations in particular that represent this alliance: the Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC) and Hindus for Trump (H4T). Research indicates that while this alliance is marginal in the Indian American community, it has the capacity to grow as Modi and Trump grow close. Most importantly, I argue that rather than being seen as a fringe movement, the intellectual merits of this movement should be taken seriously. As such, I argue that the growing influence of Hindu nationalism in American politics should be seen as a larger, global phenomenon of Hindu nationalists attempting to influence diaspora politics.

This thesis elucidates the responsibility of the pharmaceutical industry for the current opioid epidemic, an epidemic which caused over 40,000 American deaths in 2016 alone. Twenty years prior, Purdue Pharma unleashed an extended-release formulation of the opioid oxycodone: OxyContin. With this, Purdue began a highly aggressive advertising campaign with the primary intention of guaranteeing the success of this drug; however, in doing so, they often neglected to ensure that the information they were propagating was wholly accurate. Previous reform attempts aimed at mollifying this crisis have ultimately fallen short, as they have failed to recognize the true extent of Purdue Pharma's involvement, especially with regard to the underlying issues that led to the initiation and progression of the epidemic. Future improvements should be targeted at the reform of regulatory agencies and insurance companies, as well as the cultural attitudes regarding pain and pain treatment that have been cultivated over the last several years. Ultimately, however, these reforms will likely prove to be insufficient unless the failings of the current healthcare system, including the pharmaceutical industry, are also taken into account.