13th also shows how the justice system acts as a formal method of control. Laws and policies like Jim Crow were used to control certain racial groups and led them to be stripped of certain privileges. The criminal justice system has been and is still flawed, in that there are still policies that disproportionately target minorities and reduce their ability to act freely in society. This enforces the idea that deviance is shaped by laws and institutions, not just individual behavior. #so345

I think that the film, 13th, exposes how institutions can shape what society considers to be “criminal” and deviant behavior. The film discusses how there were laws that were written and later enforced that discriminated against Black people and further labeled them as criminals even if there were other racial groups that were performing the same behavior. I think that this just highlights how labeling theory can cause certain groups of people to be significantly mistreated. #so345

Stuart’s reading mentions the idea of “cop wisdom” which I found to be quite interesting. Cop wisdom encourages people to change their behavior or appearance in order to avoid police interaction. This kinda reminded me of when we talked about secondary deviance and how some people will try to engage in certain behaviors in an attempt to achieve a more positive status. #so345

Klemko’s article highlights an officer who said that “it’s the media portraying it that way. They get one out of 750,000 of us doing something stupid, we all pay the price…but it doesn’t mean it’s true.” This just shows how much the media plays a role. Once someone/something gets a bad reputation, the media coverage will only focus on that and further amplifies and intensifies that one action by one person causing the whole group to then be labeled in a negative way. #so345

In the article about normal force, I found it interesting to learn about how gender can play a role in what is determined to be normal. I was particularly interested to see how policemen and policewomen were treated differently by their superiors or other peers when they used different methods/forms of force out in the field. What is considered “normal” for men vs women when it comes to force was very different. #so345

Chapter 9 mentions that “To be successful at any of these attempts to redefine the problems and negate the stigma, groups need to master communication and the media.” The media plays an essential role when trying to redefine one’s identity away from one that is stigmatized. But without the media, would anybody be able to redefine themselves and the stigma associated with them? If we take this away, how would people try to change the perceptions and attitudes associated with their stigma? #so345

Chapter 8 provides a really good example of overcoming a deviant label. I thought that the example of Staci Wood really showed how people can do several different things in order to change and overcome their deviant label. While their deviant label may never fully be erased, there are still ways that one can significantly lessen the impact that it has on their life and change others perception of them. #so345

In chapter 8, I found it very interesting to learn about the coping mechanisms that people use to deal with their deviant label and also about the distinction between the discredited and the discreditable. I think that the distinction between if a person's deviant actions are known or not really makes me question how much I really know about a person. It makes me wonder how many people I have encountered in my life that may have been labeled as deviant, yet I may have never known it #so345

The Chambliss article demonstrates how power plays an important role on what is classified as deviant. Those that have power can, in some ways, bend the rules and make excuses for why certain behaviors occurred, therefore justifying the behavior in question as normal. #so345

Chambliss notes that “abandoned houses, especially if they were located in out-of-the-way places, were fair game for destruction and spontaneous vandalism.” This reminds me of the broken windows theory where if there are visible signs of disrepair and poor treatment, then the place provides an area for deviant acts to occur. The environment dictated the actions of the boys, causing them to break windows and destroy furniture. #so345