SOCB50H3 Chapter : September 22nd Reading
Document Summary
Media discourse and the deconstruction of crime myths: (schissel) Media representations of youth crime illustrate the power of decontextualized accounts and the ability of the media to represent the unusual as usual. When analyzing crime accounts, notice the initial written and visual message that appear. Postman argues that the: news of the day is a figment of our technological imagination. Television in fact, sets the standards for viewer/reader likes and dislikes. The message simple: youth crime is endemic, it is unpredictable but characteristic of a certain kind of youth and it requires dramatic and stern intervention. The first category of stories includes depictions of unusual youth crimes that appeal to people"s sense of despair by concentrating on the potentially and horror of violent behaviour and bystander apathy. If ten year olds, who in our estimation are too young to have had the chance to become corrupted, are capable of this behaviour, then so are we all.
