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Contributions will be added to the top of
this collection as I receive them.
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Date: Wed, 16 Aug
Leah Wrote:
This is in regards to the class
disscussion on physical child abuse. I am also taking a a course called
the Sociology of crime. This is just another thought to throw out there,
but the main theme of that class is about how the criminal justice system
is actually the cause of crimes such as child abuse. Once a crime is defined
as being "wrong" members of society may commit this crime because it now
has meaning behind it and is an act of rebellion. So basically by defining
crime we are creating crime. It took me a while to grasp that concept but
is it possible that if child abuse was not marked and had no consequence
and meaning, people may engage less in child abuse?
Sent : March 22
From : Logan
I hope we didn't butcher your favorite
subject
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Techniques
of Neutralization
In a study conducted by sociologists
Gresham Sykes and David Matza, they found that the group of boys they were
studying used various techniques of neutralization to justify their socially
deviant actions. This in tern helped establish the five techniques of neutralization
deviants’ use in order for them to help deflect societies norms. By using
these techniques, deviants still consider themselves as a responsible part
of society and that they still conform to societies norms.
1) Denial of Responsibility
This technique involves a person
denying any responsibility for their actions. They may view their deviance
as an accident or see themselves as victims. “I beat him up because he
was pissing me off by calling me names, so he started it,” is a common
saying of deviants who choose to deny responsibility.
2) Denial of Injury
Deviants use this technique to convince
themselves and their accuser that their deviation was harmless, leading
to no real injury. Therefore they believe they are still conforming to
society's norms. Their excuse usually comes in the form of "it wasn't wrong
because no one got hurt." Good examples of this are when deviants consider
vandalism "mischief" or gang fighting "a private quarrel", or driving drunk
"done all in good fun" simply because they did not hit anyone.
3) Denial of a victim
One way of trying to resist negative
labels that get put on people that are considered
deviants is known as "Denial of a victim".
Denial of a victim is where a person or group of
people try to deny that their action was
wrong because the person or people they did it to
deserved it. For example, if a student
stole food from the cafeteria he or she could claim
that they did it to fight rising tuition
costs. Everybody in society has been guilty of
Denial of a victim, not just those that
law deems deviant.
4) Condemnation of the Condemners
Deviants, to deny that other people
had the right to judge their actions in the first place, use this technique
of neutralization. They often accuse others as being hypocrites when their
actions are being punished. This is one of the ways deviants can challenge
the right of others to point fingers. They often say “who are they to
accuse me of….”
5) Appealing to higher Loyalties
The final technique is known as
appealing to higher loyalties. This was where they said their loyalties
to their friends, gang - almost anyone they could think of - was more important
than following societies norms. For example, they might say something like
"I'm not giving you the name of who I was with when we beat up that guy
- he is my friend and I won't betray him." Further still, they might try
to make it seem like what they did was natural - "I had to help my friend
beat up that guy, or else he would have gotten hurt! Wouldn't you do the
same thing?"
Sent : March 21
From : Jen S
Hey Dr. Phil
Here is the topic our Cougars covered
on friday:
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Social Control
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Henslin says, "Norms make social
life possible by making behavior predictable." (382) By saying this he
makes the primary link between social control and the socialization process.
Socialization is an important element/part of social control because social
control is a group's way of informally and formally enforcing its norms
on society. The way someone, like a child, is socialized is key to the
success of these social norms. Attitudes, values, and appropriate behavior
are all included in these cultural norms, and developed though the process
of socialization. It is easier to maintain control of a society where the
people have all been raised to conform to an expected way of conduct, and
share the same idea of norms. Without these shared meanings and expectations
we develop through enculturation and acculturation, we as humans would
not be able to relate to each other, process information, and sort ourselves
into specific social arrangements. Such is the case with the feral or isolated
child whom society has few mechanisms to control. Also without socialization
a society has no basis for knowing when social order breaks down.
Sent : March
21
From : Jax F
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Why is it Important Who Defines
a Deviance?
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Generally it is the person/s doing
the defining that is in control. They have power and influence over
everyone else. They make or break the rules to serve their interests.
Laws reflect and support the interests of the rich and powerful.
Was Robin Hood a deviant or a early socialist supporter? He stole
from the rich and gave to the poor. He was branded a common criminal
by the wealthy who he was a threat to. He was an impediment to their
visions of grandeur capitalism.
Is GE held accountable for polluting
the environment and spreading cancer to the people who reside close to
the power plant? If anything, I see more GE products on store shelves
than any other brand, from telephones, televisions to light switch covers.
Yet, when a protester is outside their plant they are promptly taken away
by the police. Rioters, protesters, environmentalists are labeled
deviant because they challenge the status quo of the capitalists, when
there is a threat to the elite's power or their resources. Laws are
promoted as normal or routine yet they hide political agendas. Laws
support exploitation. Laws do not represent fairness.
The exception to this that I have
witnessed in the media lately is Martha Stewart' white collared crime of
sharing insider stock information. I believe she is being made an
example of because she is a celebrity, but mostly because she is a successful
woman. She isn't apart of the old boys club. She is expendable
because of her femaleness. I am so completely sure that if this was
a high profile man, we would not be hearing about this.
Sent : March 21
From : keemo T
Group Presentation from the Lions Group
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The Medicalization of Deviation
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Social deviance is the term used
to describe a violation of the social norms. Norms, which consists
of the rules of behavior that make, ordered societies possible. Durkheim's’
theory believes that social deviance is inevitable and often inexplicable,
the medicalization of social deviance is therefore applied. This
states that deviant behavior is an outward manifestation of internal problems
of the mind. Sociologists, disagree with this stating that deviant
behavior us based in social experiences not a product of mental illness.
There are many times in society
where it seems that there is no logical social reason why an individual
acts the way that they do, and it is very easy to label those actions as
systems of a sickness. Medicalization of deviance takes the actions
that are considered socially deviant and classifies them as a sickness.
This theory became popular with the works of Sigmund Freud who stated that
external symptoms come from internal conflicts as part of this psychoanalysis
theory. Henslin states this also by saying that the medicalization
of deviance is a result of the medical profession trying to enforce its
definition of “normal” behavior.
There are a number of example that
can pinpoint such behaviors in society that is often medicalize, namely:
Motives for rape, troubled childhood, serial killers where it is often
said that “normal” people do not have the desire to harm or kill another
human being. Other more local for examples specific to Canada or
North America. .. Homelessness and depression are the two major ones.
We medicalize these conditions when we see them as products of an unstable
mind, but sometimes these are social conditions, and sometimes these conditions
themselves can create unstable minds. Kind of like putting the cart
before the horse.
A.D.D. and senility could be two
other examples. A good web site to read up more on this for reference
is www.pineforge.com/newman4study/resources/socialcontrol.htm.
Sent : March 19
From : **LaUrEn R** Duck Billed
Platypus
Hey Dr. Phil-
Attached to the e-mail is our group
presentation on law being a tool of oppression.
Take care and have a great weekend!!
Lauren R
--Let your spirit lead you on a path of
excitement and fulfillment and know that because you are a determined and
talented person any dream that you dream can become a reality.--
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Law as a
Tool of Oppression
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Law is made up from the criminal justice system
(courts, police, prisons) to deal with people who have been accused of
committing crimes. This system has been unfairly designed to represent
the interests of the wealthy and powerful (the elite) while neglecting
almost entirely the needs and interests of those present in the lower social
strata.
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It is a tool which is used to keep powerful
people where they are, therefore they are not descending down the social
ladder.
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For example: In Canada, power is maintained
largely by an elite group of white, wealthy males for the most part. This
group works carefully to make sure that their groups interests are represented
in the Cabinet with respect to the Federal Government.
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The ‘working class’ pose as a threat to
the power that the elite control, which is why there are many arrests of
those who “step out of line.”
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The ‘working class’ are unable to overpower
the elite as the elite hold almost complete control over the ‘working
class.’
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For example: A service representative will
not hold more power than a CEO of a company.
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The media is controlled by the powerful and
wealthy people, therefore they control what is seen by the public eye,
which means that they can withhold certain information or make bad news
sound good.
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Crimes committed by the powerful are often
left unnoticed because they generally have the money to pay off the people
who know their secrets, or hold enough power for them to commit crimes
without people noticing it.
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The enforcement of norms is always about power,
however some norms such as informal behavior may come from other sources,
but they do not count as much.
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For example: Chewing gum with your mouth open.
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All societies are dominated by a group of
elite and powerful individuals who need to protect both their integrity
and power from those who wish to overthrow them.
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For example: In Iraq under the rule of Saddam
Hussein, many Iraqi’s did not enjoy being under his power, while others
did. The U.S has overthrown Hussein’s power, but Hussein’s followers
are continuing to try to maintain power.
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Another example is the events occurring in
Haiti at present; the working class is revolting against the oppression
of the law system by killing police officers and wanting to rid of their
president.
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Additional problems that show that law is
a tool of oppression is as follows:
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People are arrested for their social class.
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For example: a street person would more likely
be arrested than a wealthy person.
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Police often have biased reasons for arrest
and who they arrest.
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For example: that person looks like a criminal
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Laws are directed towards the working class,
and the more elite and powerful often get away with many crimes or are
exempted from them.
For example: bypassing the courts.
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