Delinquency & Criminological Theories
The Goal of Criminological Research
Kind of like a Book Review
I recently listened to Daniel H. Wilson’s 2005 book, How to Survive a Robot Uprising. I laughed, I dreamt in color, and I researched like a mad scientist.
Take-aways imprinted forever:
1. That a PhD candidate wrote this.
2. That humor was incorporated as a way to foreshadow.
3. That it’s nonfiction, even though it opens with a quote from the movie The Terminator.
4. That it introduces readers to DARPA and NASA as governmental organizations, with military contracts, currently utilizing (and furthering) robotic technologies.
5. Content resulted in further research about technological innovations with the following companies:
- L3Communications (multi-use aircrafts and mobile drug detection)
- SICK (laser vision), and
- DSLR Pros. (UAV’s and thermal imaging).
6. Encouraging the acceptance, or avoidance, of a “surveillance society” as our current way of life.
7. SWARM technologies and the purpose of a 150-count satellite constellation.
8. Highlighting the ethical and practical issues surrounding smart homes and robotic policing. Insert “moral dilemmas” here.
9. What an important role nature plays in informing technological innovations. Hummingbirds, geckos, fish, and flies will never be looked at the same.
10. How and why it is necessary to effectively “screen” all incoming messages – wether text or voice.
11. The profound absence of legal provisions surrounding personal privacy and technology. It’s an eerie free-for-all.
Melting Plastic
My daughter and I recently went to California for family vacation. It was awesome š!!!
We walked in fields of flowers and surfed in the ocean. We danced to the sound of drums with some minimalists in Ocean Beach. We ate breakfast with some students and talked about how we could make the world better.
PhotoCredit: Maveric, 2001 – 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC.
But, upon our arrival, I was mortified to recognize how out of touch and unaccustomed we were in regards to our dependency on plastics.
Where we are from plastic bags, plastic straws, and styrofoam cups are just plain āAmerican.ā But here we were, in this progressive state and everywhere we went, locals identified us immediately as foreigners because of our pervasive and damaging dependency on plastic!
Just google āpatriotic plasticsā and look what pops up šš¼
On the last day of our trip, a news story broke that reported the deepest dive in the ocean discovered a plastic bag – and I broke into tears. You see, for me the Ocean is healing. It literally washes away all the negativity and sorrow in my soul. I have run away and sought refuge along the edge of the ocean, nearly all of my adult life. And here I was, not only contributing to its demise and taking for granted what had been so generously and freely given, but I was also teaching my child to do the same.
Importantly, I am not alone in this dismal revelation. In June, 2018 the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released a report that asserts “if humans continue to pollute at the rates we are today, by the year 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish” (UNEP, Single-Use Plastics, 6/5/2018)
PhotoCredit: Lorna Dockerill @ scubadivermag.com, December 27, 2017
In that very moment, my daughter and I made a pact (yes, it involved a pinky-swear) ā NO MORE plastic bags, straws, or styrofoam cups. We had been changed forever and we were āfreakinā done!ā
When we came home, it was really hard. In part, because it is not the norm where we live, and in part, because resources seem to be geographically sparse.
Below, are some great resources that I have discovered, while typical grocery shopping, in my journey to eradicate plastics:
Mountain Mamas – bye bye plastic bags
Plastic Film Recycling- find drop-off locations
Affordable Paper Straws w/free shipping
Aladdin recycled and recyclable bowels and cups
Earthsense Trash bags @ HomeDepot
Bambooee – washable paper towels
Recycled Rubber Mulch @ Play with Purpose
Biodegradable cat litter liners
Green-Dex Biodegradable mechanics gloves (don’t ask and be very afraid š
šš and š
Big holes & Body image
Thereās a big hole in the ground…
Every year, we local folk out here in Arizona, are dumbfounded by otherās lack of appreciation in gravity.
You see, up North – thereās this really big hole in the ground. I mean really big. Itās awe inspiring and downright mesmerizing, and it is breathtakingly big.
Every year, and I mean every single year, something like 20 people will accidentally fall into this really big hole in the ground – never to return again.
āselficideā -> Selfies = natural selection
Bansal, Garg, Pakhare, and Gupta (2018) coined the term selficide and researched its extent between 2011- 2017. According to Bansal, et al., (2018) there were approximately 259 known cases of selficide reported during this time. But whatās troubling, is the rather dramatic increase in selficides, within the past four years .
āselfiecityā -> Your so vain, you probably think this song is about you š¶
Research shows, women do āselfieā more than men (Kim, Lee, Sung & Choi, 2016). But, men die more frequently than women, while attempting to āselfie.ā Fatality in selfies, is more closely associated with risk taking behavior, then vanity (Kim, Lee, Sung & Choi,2016).
Typical psychological approaches in researching āselfiesā considers the behavior to be self-oriented action that allows participants to create and manage an image of self-importance (Mills & Tiggermann, 2016). Not surprisingly, narcism and obsessive behaviors are psychological factors associated with selfie-takers.
Why Are Women Doing It More?
Research links āselfiesā to deeply entrenched perceptions of body-image and in the presentation of self. Mills & Tiggermann (2016) found two adverse psychological effects – less confidence and more anxiety; after women posted selfies.
Why care about “selfies” warping self-importance and damaging body images? Because….
References:
Kim E, Lee J-A, Sung Y, Choi SM. Predicting selfie-posting behavior on social networking sites: An extension of theory of planned behavior. Comput Hum Behav. 2016;62:116ā23
Lamba H, Bharadhwaj V, Vacher M, et al. From camera to deathbed: understanding dangerous selfies on social media. Proc 11th Int AAAI Conf Web Soc Med (ICWSM 2017); 576ā9.
Losh, E. (2014). Beyond biometrics: Feminist media theory looks at selfiecity. Selfiecity. net.
Mills, Jennifer & Tiggermann, Marika (2016). āSelfie:ā harm: Effects on Mood and Body Image in Young Women. Body Image:an International Journal of Research.Vol. 27:86-92.
Book Review: Heartland
Sarah Smarsh’s book is about understanding the plight of poor, working-class, white girls who are from rural, middle-America.
In my opinion, everyone should read this book. This is especially true for anyone who has journeyed from rural America, onto college campuses. Sarah Smarsh eloquently, yet realistically recounts the plight of the poor, working class, white-girl from rural America.
Further, the impacts of poverty on rural America are written about in a down-to-earth style. The imagery depicts the depth of social and economic struggles experienced among the working class poor, a minority group often ignored in critical, sociological work.
For example, Sarah Smarsh explains the phenomena of “moving frequently” among rural, poor women in an illuminating way . . . “we had moved 61 times by the times I reached high school.”
Likewise, the author explains ‘the art of getting married’ among poor women, while simultaneously revealing how poor children adapt to these circumstances by learning to distinguish a home (an internal sense of security = permanent), versus a house (a structure = temporary placement).
And finally, Smarsh was appropriately humorous in her description of the chronic health problems among poor, rural, white-women. This was especially relatable when she discusses the prevalence of foot or back issues.
There was another major part of Sarah Smarsh’s Heartland story that I truly enjoyed – the part about “I’m a professor now.” Two compelling instance of this was; first, how the author described driving down a dirt road, during weekends returning home from studying in college. The second impressionable part had to do with the intense transformation the author goes through, in coming to understand what being in a new class means, after completing college.Ā In my opinion, anyone who has experienced this profound experience, will feel a sense of unity and comradeship in reading this book.
I highly recommend this book and thank the author for ‘telling it – like it is.”
Rachael Smith
Random Experiences in Higher Education
There isnāt just one class or one institution thatās been great. There have been many and all have been my favorites at one point or another. Because Iāve taken quite a few classes, I seem to remember import parts from many.
Below, is my personal story about a few experiences that have contributed personal development.
As a young undergrad, two of my favorite classes were taken in rural Arizona, at a community college. The first one was an English class called the Power of Pursuasion. In this class we analyzed things like symbolic propaganda in political campaigns. It was perfect timing, as the Bush Jr. campaign had just gone into full swing. There was no shortage of Gulf war imagery, American flags, and bald eagles on primetime television. Learning how propaganda played upon the emotion of patriotism and fear; and how powerful the media was in manipulating emotions, made this lesson plan unforgettable.
At the same rural Arizona community college, I also took a class called Moral and Ethical philosophy. What made this class so great was the large, diverse student population that enlivened discussion. There were hippies, cowboys, and retirees. The required readings included books such as Mein Kampf and the Communist Manifesto. My Professor was incredibly knowledgeable too. Yet, she was cool and approachable, with a down-to-earth approach. I recall, one of her hobbies was studying bats. She had explained to the class, that she found it beneficial to take a break from heavy philosophical thought. So, she just randomly picked something every semester, outside of philosophy, that helped cognitive idle time.
When I transferred to a state university, there were three classes early on, that really made an impression. The first, American history from 1800 to 1900. Here, I learned about the story of Geronimo. This lesson plan changed my life and my perspective on how people treat one another. I consider it a true and profound lesson about humanity. Importantly, it was the first time that I felt shame and disgust for what my ancestors were most likely a part of. I was so moved, that I foolishly thought I would confront my great-grandmother about what I had learned. āHow could we kill a manās daughter, a manās wife, a manās mother, and a manās grandmother in front of him and expect him to ālikeā us,ā I angrily demanded an answer. My soft-spoken great grandmother still lived on property nestled between the Yavapai Apache tribe and I desperately sought out another perspective to better understand. There was much she had to offer, but, I was taken back when she expressed her own deeply entrenched sense of shame and disgust. It never occurred to me that people remained silent because of their own powerlessness. My great grandmother felt a personal responsibility for not stopping inhumane treatment. She shared with me a personal experience she had as a child where she witnessed a violent scalping of a young Native boy. On occasion, she would see him running in her dreams at night. We cried together and on occasion, a young Native boy visits me in my dreams. And all of this, from a history class! It was amazing. And it helped lay the foundation of a life-long love of learning, that remains in my soul to this day.
Another one of my favorite classes at the state university was a course on Race, Gender, and Class. One of the of writing assignments for this class, involved writing a paper that omitted gendered pronouns. This class, and that assignment, were way before their time. The transgender community and equal rights protecting sexual orientation had not become mainstream, nor widely excepted in society yet. At the time, I thought this assignment was ridiculous and really hard to do. In my professional life, I have used that writing exercise more than any other homework assignment I have ever had to complete. Every piece of writing that I compose for an online audience, I now recognize and honor a gender neutral audience. In this class I also learned about chivalry and different treatments based off of feminity / masculinity. I also learned about the ramifications of white privilege and what it meant for me to come from a family considered to be working class poor.
And finally, I recall a social psychology class that taught me about personality types. My professor was Polish and she spoke in a thick accent. But, as an auditory learner, this forced me to pay very close attention to what she said in her lectures. It was amazing how much more I learned. I recall meeting with my professor after class one day to ask her a question that had been troubling me since learning about personality types. As I fumbled through my notes, she politely interrupted me and said: āpersonality types are considered to be deterministic and they do not change. But, fret not – for I am a Type A personality too and you are in good company.ā
There are so many more classes I could talk about. But, these are the ones that came to my mind.
Ironically, the really bad classes seem to have been just as impressionable. I took a graduate seminar once and the only thing I learned, was how to scoop cat litter and a few miscellaneous tid-bits about wayward preschool children. Both of these topics were personal issues of the professors. They just seemed to be talked about in nearly every class. Donāt get me wrong, I like practicality – especially when studying deep subjects, or theories, or philosophies. Itās just, my expectations of a graduate seminar on Violence, did not even come close to the topics lectured on. I chalked this experience up as a form of personal discipline and an exercise in perseverance; while practicing reservation of pen and tongue. Perhaps one of the most significant lessons to learn in life. However, my cat litter does seem to get scooped regularly these days. Maybe, I learned more than I give credit for.
A Single Momās Survival Guide
Keep’n It Real – Fried Chicken for Single Moms. Uhh yeah – 7 Secret Ingredients; Aināt nobody got time for that!!!
Get the plastic bag left over from the .99 cent loaf of bread. Save the heals of the bread for the āafter supperā walk to the park to feed the ducks. Screw the geese – pillows and blankets, that is their sole purpose in life. Can you tell geese have tried to attack me?!
Get your .99 cent 1/2lbs all purpose flour and dump a heaping handful into the plastic bread bag.
Grab two packs of .79 cent Italian Dressing season packs. Note: If your in between pay checks one works, but make that handful of flour, not so heaping. Dump them in the plastic bread bag.
Chicken – donāt short cut with the manager’s special. Remember, kids with diarrhea will make you miss job number three. Legs work great up until about high school age. Frozen breasts work great too. On a clean cutting board, cut and clean chicken using only one knife. Rinse under running water prior to placing in bag. You need the flour to stick.
Grab your Snow Cap Lard you scored at Food City. Caution: Donāt contaminate the lard with the same knife, youāll need that for tortillas tomorrow. Instead, wash your hands really well with .99 store Dawn. Grab a handful of lard and drop it in a skillet that is turned to about 7 on the stove top.
Put the pieces of your prepped chicken inside the bread bag. Twist it and tie it in a knot. Shake for a while. Consider this under arm flab exercise. Undo knot and drop chicken in hot Lard. Using the same knife, poke the chicken for blood. If no blood, turn the chicken one time. After golden, pull out chicken using same knife.
Gravy – why because Ranch is pricey. Turn heat down to about 4. Grab bread bag containing remnants of flour and dump it in. Throw in a large spit of milk. The ratio of milk to lard, should be about 2:1. Grab a whisk and creamify white gravy. Bam – dipping sauce.
Get paper plates, turn off TV and wifi, and serve.
Total dishes – one knife, one skillet, a cutting board, and a whisk.
Note: Italian Dressing mix can be bought in a four pack. And Good Seasoning and Wishbone brands are better than generic, but cost twice as much. The other two packs can be used on pork chops, but remember that’s not Kosher.
Calorie count irrelevant. Walk it off, while feeding ducks at the park and/or canal.
* Final Note: Feel good mom. Karl Sanders canāt come close to a home cooked meal. š
Criminology, Design & Curriculum 