Zusammenfassung der Ressource
YOUTH & DEVIANCE
- CLASS
- Youths from working class cultures are more likely to be considered to be deviant. Arguably the
reason could be down to income, such as the poor youth thieving or taking drugs.
- Often white collar crime is considered more socially acceptable than working class crime for
example, burglary and robbery cost the US government 3.8 billion a year whereas white colour
crimes amount to 500 billion a year (human) Conflict Theory would suggest that White collar
crime is difficult to identify and that they can use their power and influence to avoid prosecution.
White collar criminals are much less likely than working-class individuals to face prison sentence.
- According to functionalists the morality of the majority of people define what is to be
aspired to and the implications of this way of thinking has serious implications for
people from a lower class backgroud, the reason for this, is because they do not have
the means IE income, education to aspire to the moral majorities expectations.
- It could be considered that the criminalization of deviance is where the actions of the poor are
more likely to be considered deviant, leaving the rich untouchable. When considering young
people in the mix it is apparent that they are constantly deviant according to the mass media.
Marxist would believe this is a form of oppression to keep the working class young people working
within working class routes.
- The mass media such as newspapers are a prime example of causing class inequality.The press only
publish the negative effects of certain groups such as the benefit system causing devices between
classes. It could be considered that there are delinquencies within the benefit system due to peoples
entitle meants. For example, child tax credits and nursery care can be claimed with an income of
150K yet tax credits hav a cap of 13.3K. Marxist would argue that this is to keep incomes low to
oppress the working class too keep them under the illusion of power.
- YOUNG PEOPLE
- It could be argued that youth or the term youth is socially constructed therefore, society
constructs the way we understand and experience youth often through mainstream
media. For example, hoodies to be feared.
- Historically Young people or the term youth has changed, for example in the 19th century
children as young as five would go out to work, now children are protected from exploitation
in the work place. Similary children in third world countries (Inda) work in sweat shops from
very young ages, where as children in the west do not work until they are sixteen.
- Labelling theory would argue that the term youth has negative connotations, IE when
mainstream newspaper publish articles surrounding young people they will always
refer to them as youth or youth of today, especially when crime is brought into the
mix.
- In historical terms, “youth culture” studies are relatively new for sociological analysis, it appears
that most studies are mainly post 2nd world war. Early studies in this area were mainly produced by
Functionalist sociologists (the dominant sociological perspective in 1940's / '50's) and tended to focus
upon "youth" as a distinctive form of culture. general themes in this "sociology of youth" tended to
be things like:
- The idea that "youth" represents a period of
"ambivalence" - a distinct phase in human social
development that represents a transition period
from childhood to full adulthood.
- • Youths holding norms and values that
were significantly different to the norms
and values held by their parents..
- It could be argued that the actions of our young people are often seen with expressed
trepidation by society due to the various moral panics on the subject, resulting in communities
becoming saturated with anxiety and fear. These moral panics are often spurred on by multi
media such as Facebook and twitter but undeniably the force of the mass media has shaped
peoples mind on our young people.
- Arguably young people are considered more deviant than adults this is to young people having no
social status. Anti-social behaviour, subcultural activity and non-conformity in youth is very common
within society and arguably this may be considered as delinquency but although young people do not
conform to society this does not mean they are braking the law. Its apparent that Young people are
associated with street crime, drug addiction, alcoholism where as adults are not.
- ETHNICITY
- Gilroy argues in his book Ain't no black in the union jack 1987 Gilroy moves away
from the analysis that black is evil and speaks more about the division between
colour and ethinictity, Gilroy would suggest that the western word is more
superior IE ethnocentric. Gilroy would also suggest that the reporting of the
mainstream reader is often the case of racism.
- Media representation from the press include, migrants take all new jobs in Britain,
Muslims school ban our culture, strangers in our own country and keep out Britain is full
up.
- It is apparent that ethnicity can be important in relation to the identity and purpose of specific youth
subcultures. You could argue that youth subcultures can be defined as meaning systems, way of
expression or lifestyle developed by groups in subordinate structural positions in response to
dominant systems.
- Integrationist’s theorist Stan Cohen argues youth sub cultures are not coherent social
groupings that arise spontaneously as a reaction to social forces. But that the mass media's
labelling results in the creation of youth subcultures. This theory also accounts for factors such
as gender and ethnicity.
- When society is subjected to negative front page press from the daily express and the
daily mail on a regular occurrence it alters the publics discourse on ethnicity, race and
cultures. It disregards the positive enriching of Britain by the many nations and
cultures in our multicultural society. Instead it brings suspicion, anger, division and
competition with other races and individual minority groups in society.
- GENDER
- It is apparent when looking at crime related statistics that men are more likely to commit masculine
based crime such as violence and spending. arguably this could be due to the social construction of
masculinity. Deviant behaviour is often associated with males, furthermore when women commit certain
crime such as murder and child abuse people are out raged more so than males arguably this could be
consider that women shoudld be more moralistic than men because they are they are the ones who give
birth.
- It is apparent when looking at different theorists in relation to gender and crime that the
theorists theorise crime as the domain of men without considering women.
- The marxist would argue that society alienates people through the class struggle for example youth
are alienated from the social system which in turn encourages oppression for the working class
youth which essentially stops life chances and maintains inequality.
- “With few exceptions, the development of theories of deviance and delinquency has
evolved along gender-specific lines. Mainstream theories have usually been formulated to
explain the deviant behavior of young males. Conversely, those theories developed to
explain female deviance have been on the periphery of the field. The gender-specific
origins of many deviance theories have led some to argue that “general” theories of
deviance are little more than specific theories of male deviance.”
- Cynthia Cockburn would highlight that masculinity is the result of crime, Cynthia would
carry on to say that 92% of crime is carried out by males with females very much
conforming to the female role in society. Cynthia would also say that masculinity is
socially constructed which in turn causes crime. If you look at the Sex Role Theory, this
theory argues that boys and girls are socialised differently therefore resulting in boys
becoming more delinquent
- Deviance is an absence of conformity to these
norms. Social norms differ from culture to
culture. For example, a deviant act can be
committed in one society that breaks a social
norm there, but may be normal for another
society. Race, class, gender and age are
alternately seen as direct contributors to deviant
behaviour, as stigmatized statuses that are
targets for deviant labelling, and as sources of
power to exert that very same social control.
- Deviance can be defined as acting or behaving
out side of what society generally believe is
"normal" Youths are labelled as deviant based on
the clothes they wear the language they use
activity that they engage in, for example skate
boarders are seen to be drug takers (weed
smokers). Conceptions of deviant behaviour are
labelled hoodie, Emo, goth, and Chav. Generally
deviance relates to uncarpeted attitudes or an
individual chosen life style.