Friday, December 14. 2018

Today's schedule is CDAB

B Block Criminology - You have the block to finish work...either your clique poster, your individual social influences poster or the questions from the Dateline video you watched in the Learning Commons this past Monday. Remember:

1. What do you think the purpose of the "My Kid Would Never Do That: Stranger Danger" show and what assumptions or beliefs do its creators have that are reflected in the content?
2. Who and what is shown in a positive light? In a negative light? Why might these people and things be shown this way? What conclusions might audiences draw based on these facts?
3. What techniques does the Dateline show use to get your attention and to communicate its message?

To help, we'll discuss "infotainment" (the blurring lines of entertainment and information) where shows like Dateline and 48 Hours Mystery shape the public's views on crime and crime control. Stephen A. Kohm wrote a piece that "examines the way shame and humiliation in criminal justice have become increasingly commodified, enacted, and experienced through hybrid forms of mass media that blur the boundaries of reality and entertainment". In it, he argues that, "public narratives about crime in the news media operate on a distinctly emotional level, weaving powerful messages about not only the nature and extent of crime, but also how audiences ought to feel about crime. To Catch a Predator similarly plays upon and appeals to emotions running the gamut from outrage to humiliation".

Rolling Stone had a great article on To Catch a Predator (The New American Witch Hunt) as did the Columbia Journalism Review (The Shame Game). So, what is To Catch a Predator?

To Catch a Predator is a reality television show which features a series of hidden camera investigations by the television news-magazine Dateline NBC. It is devoted to the subject of identifying and detaining those who contact people they believe to be below the age of consent (ages 12–15) over the Internet for sexual liaisons.


What is the problem with to Catch a Predator? Lots...but in the context of the course we're in what it has done is shape the public's consciousness about crime to the point that "Creep Catchers" is now a thing...This is not a "foreign" thing...in Nanaimo the RCMP is concerned about vigilante justice there and here in the Comox Valley we also had another vigilante creep catcher event as well. 

Creep Catchers is a strong example of where people see a problem (through the mediated coverage of crime) and decide to bypass law enforcement and take matters into their own hands. In this, the media has created a moral panic about pedophiles and shaped the consciousness of the public about the problem and the apparent lack of police response.

"All jurisdictions across the United States and Canada have trained officers that are on the internet and are trying to interact with these people and find out who they are" said Nanaimo RCMP Cpl. Jon Stuart but To Catch a Predator undercuts the actual detective work of the RCMP and other police services.

So, did To Catch a Predator perform a public service, or was it just another ratings-hungry reality series?


Clearly it was a cultural phenomenon that still reverberates throughout North American society today. The show was parodied on the October 3rd, 2007 episode of South Park titled “Le Petit Tourette.”

It was mocked on Arrested Development

 And on Mad TV


But Chris Hansen is back on tv...

A & D Blocks Human Geography - Today we will be going to the Library/Learning Commons for another day to work on your Inquiry Project. Today is another check in day. I'll need you to show me the research you've conducted connected to the question that you've narrowed your topic into. I will need you to develop a plan (road map) for your inquiry. What do you need to do? How do you plan to go about doing it? When do you plan on getting it done.  Don't forget this is an active research project and I expect you'll need to go out into the community to interview people so who do you need to talk to and when will you talk with them? So yeah...it's the day where you really need to engage in research because there's only 20 classes remaining in the semester.