B Block Criminology - We didn't get to it yesterday, so...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. In the summer of 2003 the first widespread online pedophile hunting organization, called Perverted Justice, starts in the United States. For three years from 2004-2007, Dateline NBC collaborated with Perverted Justice to create the "reality television" show To Catch a Predator.
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 (THINK, FEEL, DO)...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
So, did To Catch a Predator perform a public service, or was it just another ratings-hungry reality series?
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?
It was mocked on Arrested Development
And on Mad TV
But Chris Hansen is back on tv...
So, "To Catch a Predator" led directly to Creep Catchers...here the infotainment led to people creating a real vigilante groups...did infotainment television influence the public's reality on crime? THINK, FEEL, DO
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?
A new documentary at the Sundance film festival, "Predators" directed by David Osit, is re-examining the show’s complicated legacy and our ongoing cultural fascination with true crime.
A Block Physical Geography - Joplin yesterday...El Reno today. we'll watch a really good video of the El Reno Oklahoma EF3 Tornado of 2013.
Oklahoma typically experiences around 60 tornadoes a year, as it is part of Tornado Alley. Most tornadoes, about 77 percent, don’t cause death or widespread damage however some can spin up to create something spectacularly dangerous. The El Reno tornado, that struck central Oklahoma, measured 4.2 kilometers (2.6 miles) wide at its base and killed 18 people including veteran tornado researchers and storm chasers Tim and Paul Samaras and Carl Young (National Geographic did an excellent piece on Tim Samaras called "The Last Chase")
A really good article on the El Reno Tornado and the storm chasers around it can be found at Outside magazine online When the Luck Ran Out in El Reno
Don't forget questions:
- Evaluate the pattern of tornado activity in Canada and the United States. Where is Tornado Alley? What generalizations can you make about the distribution and timing of tornadoes? What happened in 2003?
- Describe the formation process of a mesocyclone. How is this development associated with that of a tornado?
NWS Jetstream Tornadoes
Weather underground Supercells
How Mesocyclones Work
Weather Network Tornado Alley
CBC What is Tornado Alley
Canada's Tornado Alley may be moving from Prairies to Ontario-Quebec, warn researchers at null
NOAA/NSSL Severe Weather 101: Tornadoes
NOAA/NSSL Severe Weather 101: Tornadoes
...and because I'm a nerd...do you know that chasers have their own vocab? Check out the article Do you speak storm-chasing? from TED. Or the National Weather Service Weather Glossary for Storm Spotters
Today's Fit...
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