D Block Physical Geography - Today we'll continue looking at mid-latitude cyclones, specifically the vertically developed thunderstorms along a cold front and see what kinds of damage they can do. I'll show you a few quick videos of hail and lightning to see how they form and then we'll watch the Lightning episode of Raging Planet.
While the Raging Planet video is on, you'll need to work on:
- What constitutes a thunderstorm? What type of cloud is involved? What type of air masses would you expect in an area of thunderstorms in North America? (Geosystems Core p.110)
- Lightning and thunder are powerful phenomena in nature. Briefly describe how they develop (Geosystems Core p. 110)
Also:
Don't forget that every day we are going to start by looking at the synoptic forecast along with weather maps.
C Block Human Geography - Today, we'll examine the key issue "Why Do Ethnicities Have Distinct Distribution"? We'll start with a quick review of the triangular slave trade and the concentrated population of African Americans in the American southeast (you know...due to slavery). Then look at the inter-regional migration from the rural U.S. South to northern and western urban areas in the mid to late 20th Century. Connected to this will be "Jim Crow" laws (and segregation in Canada including Viola Desmond), "white flight", and civil rights. Tomorrow, we look at Apartheid in South Africa as you'll have some questions to work on for me.
And don't think it didn't happen in Canada...
B Block Legal Studies - We are back in the Learning Commons / Library to work on our criminal law memo activity. It is due this Friday, right? This means you have today and tomorrow to get work finished and you should be on your second case now. Please look at the blog posts for weblinks and assistance on the memo format along with resources for your discussion section. Ask for help if you need it.
A Block Criminology - We'll take a look at "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. From Britannica...
Historically, news organizations maintained a distinction between “hard” news and entertainment, or “soft” news, programming. In the 1980s, communications theorists began to use the term infotainment (a portmanteau of information and entertainment) as a synonym for soft news. Hard news was generally defined as breaking developments involving major leaders or issues, public policy, or disruptions of daily life such as natural disasters or calamities. Soft news was less institutional as well as more personal and immediate in nature, with an emphasis on human-interest themes.
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 from the Chilliwack Progress The truth about online vigilante group Creep Catchers
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...
So To Catch a Predator led to Creep Catchers...here the infotainment led to people creating a real vigilante groups...did infotainment television influence the public's reality on crime?
The Real Story Behind the Rise of Creep Catchers, Canada’s Vigilante Pedophile Hunters
Hunting Child Predators With Canada's Freelance Vigilantes
The truth about online vigilante group Creep Catchers: Part One
He lures alleged child predators and shames them on Facebook. Now one of his targets is dead
So, when it comes to crime, is Vigilantism good or bad? Do we trust the police or do we cave to the moral panic that crime is out of control and take extreme measures ourselves? What is a moral panic?
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