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Author Archives: james.chambers
Posts: 5 (archived below)
Comments: 5
Dishonest police agendas.
I found this video online which is somewhat of a reiteration of the Village Voice articles we read. The most shocking statistic was that 51% of summonses which were handed out by the NYPD were dismissed. This statistic is plainly ridiculous. Regardless of whether or not Police officers are given quotas, this enormous issuance of tickets is a blatant waste of time. Not only does it waste both officers’ and citizens’ time, but it breeds distrust and resentment toward police in general.
The Voice article also highlights the fact that police from the 81st precinct were forced to basically clear the streets of people. Whether people were given summons, or simply brought to the station and later let go, these wrongfully treated citizens are, again, building resentment for the police force as a whole.
If citizens can’t look to police for stability, then who can they look to? While leaving class, I overheard students discussing their acceptance and trust in relation to Firefighters. I believe this is due to the fact that Firefighters are generally thought of as protectors of the community as opposed to enforcers.
I found this article about the usage of Firefighters to help patrol high crime areas. There are differing points of view concerning this arrangement. It can be said that Firefighters are untrained and ill-equipped to deal with crime prevention. On the other hand, the mere presence of Firefighters can help to prevent crime. Problems are often exacerbated by a Police presence, whereas a Firefighter presence may be advantageous in preventing problems.
How does Graffiti fit into Broken Window Theory?
Graffiti is often looked at from many different perspectives. This video illustrates Graffiti as either vandalism, or an art form. A local store owner, whose business is riddled with Graffiti, thinks its vandalism, while a Los Angeles Museum exhibits it as art. But these different viewpoints force us to ask whether or not Graffiti acts as a stimulus in the collapse of a community.
The question this video asks is not correct for our argument. A more pertinent question would be, how does the community view Graffiti, as art or vandalism? If Graffiti is viewed as vandalism, then it acts as the “broken window.” But, if the Graffiti is viewed as art, then it is simply art; something to be studied and scrutinized.
The fact that Graffiti is such a broad term, makes it difficult to draw a distinction. There are the obvious distinctions of vandalism, where areas are “tagged” with the Graffiti artists’ symbols and lettering. On the other hand lies a form of art, which are walls covered in beautiful portraits and designs. This website is called the “Movement of Graffiti Art” and shows some spectacular images.
The Graffitiing of a store’s riot gates puts an odd twist on how the general feeling within a community changes from day to night. Given the fact that riot gates are closed at night, if more Graffiti is visible at night, does this mean a certain area turns into a lawless wasteland when the sun goes down? This is an extreme overstatement, but if Graffiti does act as the “broken window,” then an emergence of Graffiti may entice nocturnal crime.
Psychopaths. A successful adaptation?
Psychopathic behavior is hard to think about in any other way but deviant. If we forget about the socially constructed ideas which Psychopaths deviate from, we can see that this difference in behavior may be beneficial to the individuals themselves. This article highlights the idea that Psychopaths may have physically adapted In order to survive in a world where manipulation and lack of loyalty can give them an advantage. A lack of devotion to one’s partner will allow a psychopath to have many mates in one lifetime, thus carrying on their traits. The lack of empathy and an extremely narcissistic attitude can also allow psychopaths to become successful.
The article also points out that a disorder is defined as something which inhibits the ability for a human to adhere to its most basic nature, which, at its heart, is the ability to reproduce. Therefore, psychopathy should not be defined as a disorder, but a reproductive advantage. It’s interesting to think of psychopathy from this standpoint because if we look at how psychopaths function, it seems beneficial to them. In reality, the forces which inhibit a psychopath’s success are social norms and more importantly, laws. But, without these laws, a psychopath would truly thrive.
This psychopathic behavior is beneficial for the individual rather than the group and can only exist if the majority of people are empathetic and trusting of others. Therefore, it begs the question, would a society where only psychopaths (or what we define as psychopaths) exist be functional?
Posted in Assignment 3
Tagged crime, criminals, psychopaths, social construction of illness, sociopaths
14 Comments
Social outsiders may be perceived as less than human.
The authors of this study (Full Article), found that people may “dehumanize” social outsiders. The study used fMRI scans to research the brain’s reaction to pictures of different social groups including business professionals, Olympic athletes, and drug attics. The medial prefrontal cortex, which is used for social cognition, is not active when people are shown pictures of people labeled as “extreme out-groups.” This study is somewhat disturbing since it shows that social outsiders can be viewed as less human or possibly, not human at all.
If we look at social outsiders as non-human, there can be a certain amount of subconscious justification for their improper treatment. The previous article mentions how three Florida teens went on a homeless person beating rampage. It would be interesting to see if these teenagers justified their actions through the dehumanizing of the homeless individuals. This study also helps us understand why people can turn a blind eye to these social outsiders so easily.
“Extreme out-groups” were the focus of the study or, people who were extremely far from societal norms. In my opinion, the participants of the study, who happened to be college undergraduates, simply could not relate to the people in these social out-groups. By having so little in common, participants could more easily disassociate themselves.
At its core, this study focused on the brain’s reaction to images of social outsiders. Therefore, it is easy to see a relationship between people’s image, and their treatment by others. The findings of this study could be reason enough to set up programs which focus on bettering the physical appearance of social outsiders, at the very least, to give them equal treatment by others.
Do Stereotypes affect Suspect Recognition?
It can be assumed that everyone, in one way or another, is exposed to certain stereotypes. Regardless of whether people agree with, dismiss, or simply overlook these beliefs, the act of observing a stereotype will have some affect on the individual. The question at hand is; Do people act on stereotypical beliefs without doing so on purpose? This study shows that, when asked to identify a person from a selection of news stories, the participants were likely to choose black males as the criminal wrong doers.
It is easy to see that certain stereotypes, like a black males predisposition for criminal behavior, could be problematic for criminal recognition. For instance, if a witness to a crime were thinking through a cloud of stereotyping, it is very possible that the witness’s imagination might become a factor.
The racial standpoint of the study’s participants were also taken into account. This reveals a possible problem with the study’s approach in general. The majority of people, whether prejudice or not, are unlikely to admit their prejudices. The fact that racism is heavily frowned upon creates a huge problem for this study. A study, could easily observe an overly racist group of people, which would most likely result in a heavily skewed outcome, due to hidden stereotypes. On the other hand, a person who is afraid of seeming racist, might choose answers which go against their stereotypical views.
Intuitively, the study seems to make sense. If people have underlying stereotypes that black men are inherently violent criminals, then they will assume that the probability of a black male committing a violent crime is higher. But problems with the actual process of studying facts can easily lead to problems with results.
