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Author Archives: michael.plutchok
Posts: 5 (archived below)
Comments: 5
A New Playground for Deviance!!
While looking for some articles on deviance I came across one that really struck me and is becoming more controversial as well and is something that needs our immediate attention. While hearing about death of college students by means of cyber bulling on facebook, I feel that as technology advances and this world shrinks, deviant behavior takes on a new form, cyber bullying is becoming a bigger issue each day.
The article that I came across puts emphasis on this growing concern. Technological advances no longer keep bulling in the school yards and lunch room it occurs on the internet as kids bully each other; often ruining lives, to the point where it is tragic like the student who killed himself atRutgersUniversity. It comes to a point where this issue must be taken more seriously. The internet is becoming a new campus for criminal activity and it needs to be policed.
Technological advancement in today’s society is great, however the continuous advancement lead to new doors opening up for this technological deviance to occur. Sure we police our cities, schools, but are we really doing enough to handle what is going on the internet. It’s a breeding ground to allow a new birth of deviant behavior. It’s a deviant behavior that takes place behind closed doors so when you may think your child may be okay, safe in his/her room, it may not be as safe as you think. Deviance is taking a on different form and we should be aware now more than ever.
http://teachers.net/gazette/wordpress/guy-weaver/cyber-bullying-the-digital-age-and-deviance/
Psychopaths Can Recover
Reading the article in the New Yorker, by Seabrook, about psychopathy, I was interested in finding out the way the people with this condition are being treated. While searching for information I came upon video on someone who was in prison with psychopathy. A man who committed manslaughter and robbery is now trying to convince people that he is okay and is now trying to get back into society.
This raises the question about the way in which we treat this condition. I feel that much of society looks at it as deviant behavior because it is out of the norm how we “ought to act” then classifies it as criminal. I agree with what this video states that we need to change the way in which we treat them. Most of our prisons try to suppress their anxiety; however they need to change the way they think and how to change their behavior, whether it’s by group therapy or by social interaction like we see in the video.
According to the article in the New Yorker psychopaths‘s main defect is a serve emotional detachment, defined as a lack of empathy and remorse. So doesn’t the prison system make you feel more emptiness and a greater remorse? So the point made in the article is how the justice system viewed them as criminals, but is not their fault, it is the way their minds work.
This video states that we can’t view psychopaths as criminals we must treat them differently and maybe we will see some progress in treating people with this condition, and maybe some can improve enough to function in society.
Moral Panic Continues
Moral panic is something that is always happening, there is always something going on in societies that are causing moral panics, and trying to stop and control it well, how are we going to answer that question. Whether for example it is Britain not want the American “mugging” to come over seas, causing the citizens to panic, Newark wants to stop the panic over gang related deaths, and put an end to the gang related behavior, but do they, are they truly providing a way to end this cycle of gang related deaths and panic throughout the streets, something has to give.
I came across a video of the moral panic going on in Newark, New Jersey about gang violence. About the life experience going on in the neighborhoods, gangs have become the family in which they have. When the try to break this cycle of joining gangs they argue that it is impossible for this to happen since most of the people in gangs have criminal records so nobody will be able to hire them. So how are they supposed to get out of this, and they are forced to go back to the gang because it the only thing they have for support.
The gang violence that goes on in Newark causes a moral panic, officials say that they are there to help but can you really trust them? If they aren’t providing a way to break the cycle shouldn’t they be the ones to blame for allowing this moral panic to prolong.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVrryRGg4GY
Are Athletes Untouchable?
Being a big sports fan and with the Jets’ recent signing of Plaxico Burress, I couldn’t help but to think about our discussion in class of how everyone is to follow the law but others who make the law are held to a different standard and might get off easier based on class in society and who you know. Well in this case you would think because of his status of a super star receiver that he would get off; however it was just the opposite. Plaxico shot himself in the leg and spent 21 months in prison, he indeed was deviant by carrying a gun into a night club, however he did not harm or intend to harm anyone, sure you can argue differently depending on your opinion, but this is a case which you would think he would of got off easy because of his status. I couldn’t help but to make the link to Becker’s Outsiders, on how the differences in class and social status apply to power, which it accounts to the degree to which group can make rules for others. The point I am trying to make is you would think he would get off easy, however the city prosecuted him to the full extent of the law, so next time you think you may be above the law or have the attitude, I know this one or that one that can get me out of this situation, I would rethink that or at least that is what the city wants us to think because of the way they made an example of the star receiver.
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2008-11-29/sports/29435442_1_plaxico-burress-sources-antonio-pierce
Is the Scale Really Balanced?
When I was looking for articles about women criminals I stumbled upon one which states how judges were ordered to show more mercy on women criminals when deciding sentences. According to the article, women criminals are poorly educated, have not committed violence and have children to look after. However, in a society where we look at men and women as equal, I ask myself is this possible? I guess that men and women are held to a different standard. To tie Lombroso into this he has said that women are the inferior sex and their main goal is to achieve maternity, their sole purpose of living and a women’s greatest achievement, however why is this consideration constantly should be taken into account with all these cases. We must consider that there are outliers in all cases against women criminals, not all women have that nurturing, maternal instinct about them. Shouldn’t courts look at the other side of this; what about the men who have children at home to take care of, who have more nurturing instincts than some women, why don’t the court take this into consideration as well the way they do with women. Are women truly at a disadvantage, are they the inferior sex, as stated by Lombroso. It looks as women are getting more of the benefit of the doubt and getting off easier. So I ask you to think about are women truly the inferior sex in society today, maybe if Lombroso was part of today’s society where supposedly men and women are supposed to be treated as equals, he might think different, he might think perhaps men are the inferior sex ?
