As we discussed today, it is apparent that there is a huge gap between our perception of crime, and what is reality. We have a set of assumptions about our society in regards to crime such as what counts as criminal, who is criminal, and what makes our society safer. The main source of this deception we face is present in the media. Most of the crimes we see on the news are lower-class crimes. We see violence, robbery, rape, and theft. Rarely do we see the crimes that impact us the most, such as economic crimes. This over portrayal of lower-class crimes leads many to believe that these are the crimes that are happening most frequently, and these are the ones to worry about. Urban legends are another way of highlighting this gap. Every family I know sorts through their halloween candy, throwing away unwrapped or homemade goods in fear that they may be poisoned. There have only been 2 documented cases of this ever happening, yet our fear makes us believe that it could be a reality for any unsuspecting child. We believe that it happens all the time.
Labeling Theory
Although we only touched briefly upon this, it is in fact one of my favorite theories so I thought I would add it in here. We started out talking about Megan's Law. This is the informal name for laws in the U.S. that require law enforcement agencies to make information available to the public regarding registered sex offenders. Anyone can go online and see the name, photograph, address, and crime of all registered sex offenders in their city. This law was created in wake of the rape and murder of a young girl. If her parents had known that a sex offender was living down the street, they would have never allowed her to play near his home. Although this case is devastating, critics of this law contend that it is an extreme case. Ninety-six percent of child rape victims know their attacker. This law fits into Labeling Theory because that is exactly what it is doing. Becker's theory is a criminological notion that being given a criminal label ultimately leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy where an individual is stigmatized and begins to internalize this stigma. They then eventually live up to this label given to them. Sex offenders are a great example of what this theory is all about. Because of a single crime, they are labeled for life. The crime may not even be serious, like the example today of a man mooning a crowd where there happened to be a child; however, even if it is a serious crime, there is little hope that the individual would be able to turn their life around. No matter where they go, there is no such thing as a fresh start. They are constantly labeled, so they either give in to this and act out, or they go underground. In this case, they are unable to be monitored at all. Sex offenders aren't the only ones facing this dilemma, it is true for any person that has committed a crime. Most are unable to escape their mistake, so why even try?
Sensation vs. Rationality
Sensation is one of the main reasons why there is a disjuncture between fact and fiction in regards to crime and criminality. On any day, I would rather watch a 1/2 hour of television than read a scientific journal where the print is tiny, the material is dry, and the content is utterly boring. Because of this, we are only exposed to certain material, and this is why we have these 'common sense' assumptions about crime. Scientific journals and other materials of this sort are formatted this way because they represent what is fact. However, what most fail to recognize, is that most would rather be entertained than bored to death. Maybe our society would have different assumptions if the facts were glamorized.
Moral Workouts
Durkheim argues that we need crime in our society. Due to our need to feel like we are part of a community, we are consumed with these sensational stories so we can collectively feel emotion together. For example, after 9/11 our country experienced a wave of patriotism. We all experienced anger as a whole, even those most of us weren't personally affected. We enjoy watching the news because it provides us with daily moral workouts in which we collectively feel anger or sadness or other countless emotions. It gives us a sense of community that we seem to have lost with the advancing technology.
I really enjoyed talking about urban legends. Most of them are extremely rediculous but we all believe them. I ALWAYS check my backseat when getting into my car because I am convinced that someone is back there. However, I should probably be more aware of the dangers that are likely to occur. I think that if our society paid more attention to real dangers instead of urban legengs, we would all be less paranoid.
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of sex offenders, I feel as though when they become "outsiders" they have more anger towards the "insiders". Because of this anger, some may want to get back at the insiders by committing another sex crime. The sex offenders probably feel as though they do not belong anywhere but prison, thus causing them to commit more crime. I know that if I was labelled by society as being a criminal, I would want to be in an environment where I could relate to others. The only place for that would be prison. I guess it may give us insight as to why some people commit multiple crimes. Prison gives them a sense of community.
Perceptions of lower-class crimes like murder and rape are portrayed more because they seem more heinous and cruel. The high-class crimes, like ENRON, effect everyone more than one murder but seem less scare and dangerous. Also many people do not understand the details and implications of these types of crimes as easily as lower-class crimes. So the media uses the one that will create the most viewers, when they should be trying to provide the most relevant information.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the idea that sex offenders should be known to the public. But I think that we need to be careful who we label as such because a label like that stick with a person for life.
It is sad but true that people do not know the facts because they do not want to read about them. But maybe if they wre portrayed in a similar way the media portrays information people would listen and gain knowledge, with knowledge come power.
thanks for the overview of class, Emily!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed our discussion on urban legends.. it is true that there are legends that are so far-fetched, but we as a society are still under the impression that it could happen to us. Whenever I walked to my car at night, I have my keys ready. When I get to my car, I check the back seat and I lock the doors as soon as I am in. It makes it seem like attacks in parking lots at night are so common, but they actually aren't. Yet, I will not change my habits at all because they make me feel safer.
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