SOCI 2445 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Generation Gap, Differential Association, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
16 Dec 2020
School
Department
Course
Professor
Deviance Class 8: Youth
Studying Youth
-Youth and deviance go hand and hand
− Something intrinsically deviant about youth
− Need some type of social control
-Troubling youth
− Primarily a risk to others (danger to others)
− Crime, gangs
-Troubled youth
− Primarily risk to themselves (danger to themselves)
− Substance use, drugs, risk sexual behaviour
-Various definitions
− Age
− Social circumstances
− Stage in life (transitional time child → adult)
-Socially constructed
− Some constructions based on age
− Varies across cultures time
− Different expectations depending on context
Youth Crime
-Perception in media
− Youth crime huge social problem
− In reality youth crime decreasing
− Shape our view on youth
-Most common crimes committed by youth
− Theft under $5000 (shop-lifting)
− Mischief
− Level 1 assault
-Highest crime rate overall
− Ages 18-24
-Youth crime decline
− Violent, property, youth overall crime decrease
− Steady decline since 1991
− 2018 lowest it has ever been
-Explained by
− Not having money
− Peer pressure
− Experimental time
-Cohen
− Gap between perceptions and patterns of youth crime arise from moral panics
Moral Panics
-Moral panic
− Term coined by Stanley Cohen
− Book “Folk devils and moral panics: The creation of the mods and rockers”
− Social constructionist approach
− Not description of mods/rockers
− Not analyzing roots of deviance or why they are behaving like this
− How problems are created and constructed in society
-What is moral panic
− An exaggeration of an event
− Compared to the objective impact of the event or threat it imposes
− Not saying it doesn’t exist
− Reaction not built on hysteria
− Doesn’t negate its seriousness
− Moral panic can become an actual societal/social problem
Mods vs. Rockers
-Group of young people
− Varied on characteristics (style, vehicle)
− Mods = preppy, rode scooters
− Rocker = out cast, rode motorcycles
− Conflict between 2 groups
− Vandalism, rocks thrown, physical assault
− 100 arrested
− Huge media coverage
-Cohen argued
− Over reaction by media, police, public, politicians
− Didn’t reflect severity of event
− Media amplified the issue
− Leading to more deviance
Moral Panic Trajectory: Stages
1. A condition, episode, person, or group of persons emerges to become defined as
a threat to societal values and interests
− Identify problem/threat
2. Its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion by mass media
− Described problem black/white, non-complex, simple
3. Experts state diagnoses and solutions
− Validate it’s a real problem and a threat
− Offer solution
4. Condition becomes more visible due to exaggerated attention
− Creates fear and panic
− Attention causes more harm than good
− Deviance amplification: explain how the more attention (media, police)
makes it worse, opposite of intended effect
5. Passes or remains long term
− Goes away without impact
− OR leave traces on society → institutional trace (changed laws, policies)
− Institutional trace (changed laws)
Folk Devils and Moral Panics
-Folk devils
− Created in a moral panic
− Necessary component of a moral panic
-Fold devil definition
− People/category of people identified as threat
− Source of threat (responsible)
− Associated with deviant stereotypes
− Evil wrongdoers
− Us (law abiding citizens, innocent) vs. them (folk devils, evil)
− Threaten peaceful existence
-Examples
− Sex offenders
− Drug dealers
− Youth/hooligans
− The poor “welfare queen”
Welfare Queen
-Example of folk devil
− Linda Taylor
− Villainized by Ronald Regan in 70s
− Defrauded welfare system, had multiple children, kidnapping, murder
− Came to represent and deviantize ALL women on welfare
− Society viewed women on welfare as criminals
− Going against or milking the government
Moral Panics
-Drugs, partying
− Ecstasy and raving
-Exposure to media/technology
− Harmful to society
-Satanic child sexual abuse
− 80s/90s
− Doesn’t exist on large scale
-Video games
− Cause violence in children
-Youth violence
− School shootings (became real social issue in U.S)
-Immigration/refugees
Drugs and Pregnancy
-A lot of time moral panics threat is targeted towards children/youth
Document Summary
Primarily a risk to others (danger to others) Primarily risk to themselves (danger to themselves) Stage in life (transitional time child adult) Gap between perceptions and patterns of youth crime arise from moral panics. Book folk devils and moral panics: the creation of the mods and rockers . Not analyzing roots of deviance or why they are behaving like this. How problems are created and constructed in society. Compared to the objective impact of the event or threat it imposes. Moral panic can become an actual societal/social problem. Over reaction by media, police, public, politicians. Moral panic trajectory: stages: a condition, episode, person, or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests. Identify problem/threat: its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion by mass media. Described problem black/white, non-complex, simple: experts state diagnoses and solutions. Validate it"s a real problem and a threat.
