Media Representations Of Violence Essay, Research Paper

The article & # 8220 ; Violence to a T & # 8221 ; ( Ogg 1997, p. 3 ) is typical of the manner and content of offense intelligence describing found in the mass media. That is, most offense intelligence narratives reported in the media misrepresent the & # 8220 ; offense job & # 8221 ; by concentrating merely on certain types of offenses. Those offenses are normally eccentric or unusual events, such as slaying or snatch. This focal point presents the populace with the image that the bulk of offense involves personal force. Added to this, the manner of presentation adopted by the media serves to heighten the nature of the offense in the readers mind, reenforcing the subject than most offense is violent in nature. Furthermore, the article & # 8220 ; Violence to a T & # 8221 ; , like many other offense intelligence narratives, is presented without any treatment of possible causes.

In contrast to the media & # 8217 ; s appraisal and representation of offense, the field of criminology offers a wider scrutiny of offense. It besides attempts to account for why offenses occur through the application of assorted theories aimed at bring outing the cause of offense. Two such theories are classical theory and strain theory. When each theory is applied to a offense its strengths and failings can be examined. The theory most appropriate to the peculiar offense can so be used to decently explicate the implicit in causes for condemnable behavior.

The offenses reported in the article & # 8220 ; Violence to a T & # 8221 ; continues a common subject in the media & # 8217 ; s appraisal and representation of offense as dwelling chiefly of violent events. For illustration, the offenses referred to in the article are chiefly of a violent nature, such as slaying, robbery, snatch and assault. The inclination to advance violent subjects has been found in surveies of other media beginnings around the universe. In peculiar, a survey by Williams and Dickinson ( 1993 ) investigated the offense intelligence content of newspapers across the United Kingdom. They found that 64.5 per centum of offense intelligence narratives involved personal force ( p. 40 ) . In contrast, official figures show that violent offenses merely account for six per centum of the entire figure of offenses ( P. 40. ) .

Furthermore, this preoccupation the media has for offenses of force is non restricted to the print medium. The electronic media has besides added to the perceptual experience that offense is violent. In peculiar, a survey conducted by Barak ( 1994 ) found that 80 seven per centum of telecasting offense involved force in the signifier of slaying, robbery, snatch and aggravated assault ( p. 136 ) . Again, the official figures held by the FBI show that merely 10 per centum of offenses were committed against the individual ( p. 136 ) . It appears the media merely focusses on offenses of an unusual and violent nature so that it will catch the readers & # 8217 ; attending and sell their merchandise ( Daly 1995, p. 16 ) . Indeed, the violent offense narratives do catch the readers & # 8217 ; attending and have a important influence on their perceptual experience of offense in society ( ibid. pp. 11-12 ) .

Recent surveies have shown that the media do hold an of import influence on the public perceptual experience of offense. For illustration, a survey by Surette ( cited in Daly 1995, pp. 11 & # 8211 ; 12 ) in 1992 showed that some persons were more susceptible to media influences than others, particularly for events perceived to be outside the individual & # 8217 ; s ain experience. Additionally, an probe conducted by Booth ( cited in Williams & A ; Dickinson 1993, p. 36 ) suggests that certain manners of describing service to heighten the messages the media is conveying to its readers. In peculiar, increasing the saliency of a headline or attaching a exposure adds to the influence of the study. This last point is particularly relevant to the & # 8220 ; Violence to a T & # 8221 ; article, where both saliency & # 8211 ; utilizing a big fount for the headline & # 8211 ; and the usage of a exposure have been utilised to add to the narrative & # 8217 ; s impact on the reader.

In contrast to the media & # 8217 ; s appraisal and representation of offense, the criminological survey of offense nowadayss a position that is based on an scrutiny of the official figures, without specific focal point on one offense at the disbursal of others. Additionally, unlike the journalists, who presents the offenses without analyzing their implicit in causes, criminologist & # 8217 ; s look into the fortunes environing the offense and effort to place possible causes for the happening of offense. In their effort to detect the possible causes for offense criminologist & # 8217 ; s normally follow a peculiar theoretical position. Two of the chief criminological theories are classical theory, and strain theory.

Classical theory originated during the in-between period of the 18th century, and marked the terminal of the feudal system of jurisprudence disposal ( Adler, Mueller & A ; Laufer 1995, p. 57 ; White & A ; Haines 1996, pp. 21-22 ) . The cardinal principal of this theory was based on the belief that people freely choose what they do and are responsible for the effects of their behavior ( Adler, Mueller & A ; Laufer 1995, p. 57 ) . Additionally, these picks were seen to be the consequence of an single doing a rational determination sing what they considered to be appropriate behaviors. Each individual is seen to hold an equal capacity to ground and do these rational determinations ( White & A ; Haines 1996, p. 27 ) . More significantly, the person is seen to do determinations based on grounds of opportunism ( ibid. p. 26 ) . Therefore, rational picks would be 1s where the person would profit the most.

In its application, the premiss of classical theory that single members of the 5T pack acted strictly out of opportunism is supported by the articles description of the members as & # 8220 ; & # 8230 ; driving flash autos and dripping in gold & # 8230 ; & # 8221 ; . In add-on, the position that people became members of the 5T pack to do & # 8220 ; easy money & # 8221 ; gives farther weight to the statement asseverating that the self-interested nature of the pack members influenced them to perpetrate offense.

However, classical theory seems to weaken in its application to this offense when it comes to an account beyond grounds based on opportunism. That is, harmonizing to classical theory, condemnable behavior is believed to ensue where an single makes a rational determination to make incorrect, after weighing up the advantages and disadvantages ( White & A ; Haines 1996, p. 28 ) . Given the condemnable justness systems & # 8217 ; usage of penalty, based on the pleasure-pain rule to discourage condemnable behavior ( White & A ; Haines 1996, p. 28 ) , together with the fact that many members of the pack have already been caught, condemnable activity continues to happen, apparently without restraint. There appears to be implicit in causes that classical theory is inadequately equipped to bring out.

Conversely, strain theory expands the analysis to include a survey of the factors that may hold influenced members of the 5T to perpetrate offense. Before get downing that analysis, it must be recognised that at the basic degree both classical theory and strain theory agree that there is a general consensus of values within society. From the clas

sical position this consensus takes the signifier of a societal contract, where members of a society agree upon the basic rights of persons to be free from intervention from other persons or the province ( White & Haines 1996, p. 27 ) . Similarly, strain theory suggests there is a general consensus or understanding of the values and norms in society ( Adler, Mueller & Laufer 1995, p. 111 ) .

However, the similarities between the two theories disappear when the focal point on the offense alterations to an analysis of causing. At this point strain theory provides possible replies for the cause of the go oning offense job portrayed in the article. In peculiar, strain theory suggests the cause of offense is outside the control of the person and is basically a societal phenomenon ( White & A ; Haines 1996, p. 59 ) . The societal forces that impact on persons and arouse them into acting in a condemnable mode relate to barricade chances ( White & A ; Haines 1996, p. 60 ) . That is, society holds out the same ends to all its members, but non everyone is every bit equipped with the agencies to achieve these ends ( Adler, Mueller & A ; Laufer 1995, p. 111 ) . As a consequence, the unequal distribution of chances causes a strain within society that leads to criminal behavior. This account of the cause of offense is peculiarly utile in the analysis of the offenses portrayed in the article about the 5T pack.

There are a figure facets of strain theory that are particularly relevant in explicating why members of the 5T pack continue to perpetrate offense, irrespective of the disincentive consequence of condemnable prosecution. First, condemnable behavior is the consequence of strain caused by out of use chances, where non every individual in society possesses the resources to accomplish socially defined ends. That is, society holds out certain ends as socially desirable. In this instance, stuff wealth is the socially desirable end, evidenced by the pack members & # 8217 ; aspirations to have & # 8220 ; flash & # 8221 ; autos and gold. The agencies by which most of society & # 8217 ; s members achieve these ends is through acceptable avenues, such as work. However, if an person does non hold acceptable agencies available them, they may fall back to alternate agencies, such as offense ( Adler, Mueller & A ; Laufer 1995, p. 112 ) .

Second, and besides related to barricade chances, societal disorganization consequences in the discarding of cultural norms and values that would usually forestall pervert or condemnable behavior. The discarding of cultural norms and values occurs where the is struggle between the norms and values of immigrant civilizations with the more dominant norms and values of mainstream society ( White & A ; Haines 1996, pp. 64-65 ) . This is peculiarly relevant to an analysis of the 5T pack. The members of the pack are preponderantly Vietnamese young persons who are forced to get by within a society dominated by the values and norms based on the capitalist ideal of wealth accretion. Without the agencies to accomplish these ideals the members of the pack resort to criminal behavior as an option to acceptable agencies. In add-on, societal disorganization is compounded by inequalities related to unemployment, poorness, deficiency of instruction and linguistic communication barriers, which may besides lend farther to barricading entree to the desired ends ( Adler, Mueller & A ; Laufer 1995, p. 111 ) .

Last, the formation of a pack creates a subculture where the values and norms of that pack promote condemnable behavior as an acceptable agencies by which ends can be achieved. The prolongation of condemnable norms is achieved through a procedure that Sutherland and Cressy have identified as differential association ( cited in White & A ; Haines, 1996, p. 68 ) . Basically, differential association refers to the acquisition of condemnable techniques, and the internalization of condemnable motivations and attitudes, together with definitions favorable to the misdemeanor of jurisprudence. Upon analyzing the image the media pigments in the article on the 5T, it is clear that there is a strong condemnable subject to the norms and values held by the group. Furthermore, the easy money and acquisition of stuff wealth, in the signifier of autos and gold, afforded by virtuousness of condemnable activities enhances the definitions favourable to jurisprudence misdemeanor.

Although strain theory has been peculiarly utile in the analysis of offense causing with specific mention to the article refering the 5T pack, it does non offer a comprehensive analysis of the entire offense job. That is, it is chiefly focussed on & # 8220 ; working category & # 8221 ; or & # 8220 ; blue collar & # 8221 ; offense, while & # 8220 ; white neckband & # 8221 ; and corporate offenses, such as fraud and environmental devastation go virtually unnoticed ( Adler, Mueller & A ; Laufer 1995, p. 115 ; White & A ; Haines 1996, p. 71 ) . It may good be the instance that if the offense under consideration related more to the later a classical attack may hold been more relevant.

To reason, media representations of offense misrepresent the nature of offense and suggest that the bulk of offenses contain force in some signifier. In world, violent events history for merely a little proportion of the entire figure of offenses. However, the public perceptual experience of offense is significantly influenced by the content and manner of offense intelligence coverage. As a consequence, many people may derive the feeling that offense, and force in peculiar, is on the addition.

In contrast to the media & # 8217 ; s deceit of offense, criminological analysis has offered a different position. Initially, it has shown that violent offense is non a important characteristic of the entire image of offense. In add-on, the criminological survey of offense from changing theoretical positions has revealed possible accounts for why offense occurs. However, the strength of the theory being used is influenced by the nature of the offense under scrutiny. For illustration, in the analysis of the 5T article, strain theory was more suitable to explicating the implicit in causes, while classical theory was slightly limited because of its narrow focal point on the issue of free will and single picks. Alternatively, if the offense was of a different nature, such as corporate fraud, a classical attack may hold been more appropriate.

Mentions

Adler, F. , Mueller, G.O.W. , & A ; Laufer, W.S. 1995, Criminology, McGraw-Hill: New York.

Barak, G. 1994, Between the Waves: Mass-Mediated Subjects of Crime and Justice & # 8217 ; , Social Justice, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 133-147.

Daly, K. 1995, Celebrated Crime Cases and the Public & # 8217 ; s Imagination: From Bad Press to Bad Policy? & # 8217 ; , Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, pp. 6-22.

Ogg, M. 1997, Violence to a T & # 8217 ; , Daily Telegraph, 14 April, p. 3.

White, R. & A ; Haines, F. 1996, Crime and Criminology: An Introduction, Oxford University Press: Melbourne.

Williams, P. & A ; Dickinson, J. 1993, Fear of Crime: Read all About It? The Relationship Between Newspaper Crime Reporting and Fear of Crime & # 8217 ; , British Journal of Criminology, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 33-56.