Friday, December 1. 2017

Today's schedule is D-C-B-A

D Block Criminology 12 - Today we'll watch the second half of the Dateline Stranger Danger "My Kid Would Never" episode. So now for the reality of stranger danger and abductions...

• Stranger Danger doesn't teach what a stranger is
• It doesn't account for trusted adults and
• It can demonize all adults to children.

A 2000 Justice Department study found that of the 800,000 kids who were reported missing that year, half turned out to be runaways. MOST abductions turned out to involve family members; only 115 of all the cases reported were a version of the nightmare scenario that most troubles parents - abduction by a stranger. Here's what I'd like you to answer:

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?

After this 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...


C Block Human Geography 11 - Today we're back in the library for day two of our ethnic conflict  poster project. Don't forget, the intent behind the poster is to raise awareness of either a current of historical (20th Century) example of either ethnic cleansing or of genocide (for the purposes of this project the Holocaust is excluded). Check yesterday's blog entry for links and criteria.

B Block Physical Geography 12 - Today we'll start looking at storms and "CYCLOGENESIS"...sweet! We will look at mid-latitude cyclones and the source regions of air masses that cause these storms to develop. We'll analyze the difference between the three dimensional structure of a warm front and a cold front and your work to accomplish for the day is questions 1, 2, and 5 from page 147 and question 10 from page 248 in your Geosystems textbook. The following sites will help with cyclogenesis:
Michael Ritter's The Physical Environment: An Introduction to Physical Geography on line text
National Weather Service Jet Stream on line weather school
University of Illinois WW2010 Weather Wold Project
Rapid Cyclogenesis Web lesson
Environment Canada Understanding Cyclogenesis