Labelling certain groups to distinguish them from the rest of society has been a norm for quite a long time in history. It happens even today but not as much as it used to because it could hurt peoples’ feelings so society only labels a handful of groups such as criminals and people of different religions and ethnicities. In some cases. However, these labels are used to offend or segregate certain people from the rest of society (or in some cases, even both). In “Stop labelling people who commit crimes ‘criminals’’”, an article by Kimberley Brownlee (2017), the author talks about how this labelling exists in the case of criminals and that these labels create hate and problems. Brownlee received her BA in Philosophy from McGill, Masters in …show more content…
She talks about the various labels that are used for criminals, especially by the way the media uses them and the way they influence the public by encouraging people to use them only in the case of criminals. However, for people with medical problems like disabilities, it is deemed as offensive and rude. The author discusses how this sort of branding is acceptable and that it is not always the fault of the ‘criminal’, as certain situations forces them to go to such extremes; so knowing the full backstory of the ‘criminal’ is important in determining whether the party is guilty or not. In some cases, revolutionists who were considered criminals were hailed as national heroes because they fought for a good cause. The author ends by stating that not every person committing a crime deserves to be labelled, and will bring less hate into the society by not labelling them; hence allowing these people to live better …show more content…
The author could have addressed the main idea in a simpler and less complicated manner if she would have supported her claims with valid and logical examples that keep the attention of the reader as well as make the reader understand what the author is trying to say. Everything goes over the head with the examples provided by Brownlee. It would require the reader to read the article multiple times for them to understand why the author used such examples. Or perhaps the reader may not even understand at all. Brownlee’s target audience is the general public however, this is too much for the general public to take in all at once as there is not enough sufficient information for the reader to grasp and it becomes quite technical. As the author starts to make a point, she provides an example that does not entirely support her claim and it actually deviates the point the point she is trying to make and jumps to a conclusion without making the point clear to the audience and eventually lost the attention of her audience. By providing a much more relatable example would allow the author to create a special connection with the reader that would make the reader want to read more about the issue that the Brownlee is
In her book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Michelle Alexander states that we still use our criminal justice system to “label people of color ‘criminals’ and then engage i...
Stereotypes within our society have shaped the way we perceive each other. Throughout the book Punished by Victor Rios, a lot of stereotypes were not only reinforced but also used against a lot of the boys. A lot of the boys presented throughout the book had never actually committed a crime but they were treated as if they had. These boys were constantly labeled and categorized, like folders into a filling cabinet or a bin. Sure Oakland, California had a lot of gang-infested areas but that does not mean everyone in that area is part of a gang or is committing a crime. Thus, this book really demonstrates how one can be perceived or labeled as a criminal due to his or her surroundings and how these stereotypes can destroy one’s chance of freedom.
We have to separate politics and the criminal justice system. The reason you would separate them is that you want to view them in different lights and you want to label them differently when it comes to Symbolic Interactionism. When it comes to politics it easy to leave people out of it because you think their views are not important or not relevant, labeling them as not important or relevant. Will economics you want to stop labeling people as unworthy of a place that they are clearly fit for and that they earn that spot that they are fighting for. When it comes to education, you want to stop labeling people unworthy of class that they are clearly working to get into because of their race or ethnicity. Selective perception is what white people are doing to make sure that they stay in power. Interlocking oppression is used to label people as unworthy of a spot that they should have because they have earned that
From a young age we are taught the saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” While this may be helpful for grade school children that are being bullied by their peers, it has some problems as it trivializes the importance that words can have. The words that people choose for themselves, as well as the words that others ascribe to a person, have an unmeasurable importance to how people can understand themselves. These labels can be a significant source of oppression or liberation for many people who identify within them. In Eli Clare’s memoir, Exile and Pride, looks at the importance of words as he explores the labels he’s associated with. He does this through mixing discussion of the histories and modern representation
As Nils Christie argued, crime is a property of the state (2004). As such, it can be defined by the same systems of ideals which influence the state. Crime statistics, which refer to a category of human acts that society view as deviant, can consequently be argued to be without objectivity (Dorling and Simpson, 1999). The statistics they provide are thus arguably not exact. To a certain extent one could infer they are reflections of society, of those who present the data and most importantly of those who accumulate it. The facts themselves become a socially constructed foundation for social knowledge, which inevitably become subjective. This essay aims to discuss how ideological biases within the Police and to a certain extent the media are reflected in the crime statistics.
Labelling theory, stemming from the influences of Cooley, Mead, Tannenbaum, and Lemert, has its origins somewhere within the context of the twentieth century. However, Edwin Lemert is widely considered the producer and founder of the original version of labelling theory. This paper, not a summary, provides a brief history of labelling theory, as well as, its role in the sociology of deviance. It attempts to explore the contributions made by labelling theorists, the criticism towards labelling theorists, and the discussion surrounding its reality as an actual theory. In essence, the main focus of this paper besides proving an understanding of Howard Becker, is to describe and evaluate `labelling theory` to the study of crime and deviance, by way of an in depth discussion.
Throughout the history of mankind there have been numerous cases in which people were victims of oppression or hate. Among these cases the sole reasoning behind this oppression or hate being based on the perception of others. History has shown that society is responsible for labeling groups of people, generally these labels are misleading.
According to Becker, the labelling theory of deviance looks at what happens to individuals after they are labelled as deviant (Skatvedt & Schou, 2008) The symbolic interactionist approach focuses on the role of social labels and sanctions that pressure individual gang members to continue engaging in deviant acts (Skatvedt & Schou, 2008).The labelling theory suggests that when an individual is labeled as deviant they are more likely to be rejected by families, friends, and societies which ultimately leads to further deviant acts (Becker, 1973). The deviant identity is thus complete when the individual gang member integrates himself into the gang subculture (Becker, 1973). Two high school gangs, the Roughnecks and the Saints, were constantly involved in deviant acts such as drinking, petty theft etc.,; however, high school teachers labelled the Saints as those headed for success and the Roughnecks as those headed for trouble (Chambliss, 1973) After high school, almost all of the Saints went to college and became doctors, lawyers, etc. while only two Roughnecks went to college and others were involved in killings and dropped out of school and so forth (Chambliss, 1973) This case study demonstrates that labels are powerful; they can trigger a greater involvement in deviant acts through social
Oxford dictionary defines intersectionality as “the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.” While intersectionality is a fairly new concept, looking at it can give a deeper insight into understanding crime and the types of offenders. Throughout this essay intersectionality will be discussed by a range of scholars and how it can influence different aspects of crime, such as the types of crime committed, the incarceration of offenders as well as the affects that incarceration can have on offenders and their families. It is important to look at intersectionality as
In this world we are constantly being categorized by our race and ethnicity, and for many people it’s hard to look beyond that. Even though in the past many stood up for equality and to stop racism and discrimination, it still occurs. In this nation of freedom and equality, there are still many people who believe that their race is superior to others. These beliefs are the ones that destroy our nation and affect the lives of many. The people affected are not limited by their age group, sex, social status, or by their education level. Their beliefs can cause them to attack other groups verbally or in silence and even reaching to the point of violence. All of this occurs because we can’t be seen as a “people”, but rather like “species” that need to be classified. An example of racism due to race and ethnicity as categories of identity is seen in the article written by Daphne Eviatar entitled “Report Finds Widespread Discrimination against Latino Immigrants in the South.” In this particular case white supremacy groups discriminate Hispanics that are both legal and illegal in the southern states of America, portraying several theoretical concepts.
Exposition: Determining Hate Crimes?Hate based on race, religion and sexual orientation exist within any cultural rich societies. When this type of hate fuels a person into taking violent actions upon those they hate, it is called a hate crime; a topic which the American public is seriously concerned about. It has been a widely discussed subject on the media, and often debates of whether or not a crime should be attributed with hate are the center for discussion.Does hate crime imply on any case when a person is convicted for inflicting damage on someone "different"? It is often difficult to set a benchmark for measuring sufficiency of hate as a cause to label it in front of crime. The term can be conveniently stretched and squeezed by people with different ideas and biases.
Lyons, Christopher J. 2006. “Stigma or Sympathy? Attributions of Fault to Hate Crime Victims and Offenders.” American Sociological Association. 69:39-59
Generally, the study of crime mainly focused on the offender until quite recently. In fact, Shapland et al (1985) described the victim as ‘the forgotten man’ of the criminal justice system and ‘the non-person in the eyes of the professional participants’. A new perspective was brought with victimology, an expanding sub-discipline of crimin...
Labelling theory: The theory that the terms crime, deviance, or punishment are labels, variously applied by act of power and not some natural reflection of events – American criminologist Howard Becker
The main focus of the essay will be the implications of labelling theory and how it affects individuals. It also will be focusing on the creation of particular categories of criminals when labelling theory is applied, in addition it will outline what labelling theory is, how it affects people and how it effects the creation of criminal categories. The purpose of this essay is to allow a better understanding of labelling theory and its implication on creating criminal categories.