NCJ Number
68199
Journal
CAPITULO CRIMINOLOGICA Volume: 4 Dated: (1976) Pages: 349-360
Date Published
1976
Length
15 pages
Annotation
THE ROLE MEDIA COVERAGE AND DRAMATIZATION OF VIOLENT CRIME PLAY IN CAPITALIST COUNTRIES IS EXPLORED FROM A RADICAL CRIMINOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE AND TERMED A MECHANISM OF SOCIAL CONTROL AND SUBTLE PROPAGANDA.
Abstract
CAPITALIST SYSTEMS ARE IN A STATE OF CONSTANT CRISIS. THEY MUST, THEREFORE, IMPLEMENT POLICIES AIMED AT NEUTRALIZING THE IMPACT AND COUNTERACTING THE EFFECTS OF SUCH CRISES. AMERICAN SOCIETY, FOR EXAMPLE, IS PLAGUED WITH ENDEMIC VIOLENCE OF CRISIS DIMENSIONS CAUSED BY THE INEQUITIES OF ITS SYSTEM. TO DISTRACT THE ATTENTION OF PEOPLE FROM THE RECURRENT AND CONTINUOUS NATURE OF THE ACTS OF VIOLENCE PERPETRATED IN THEIR MIDST, THE MEDIA MAKES ROUTINE, EVERYDAY VIOLENT ACTS LOOK EXCEPTIONAL BY CLEVER MANIPULATION AND DRAMATIZATION. SEVERAL PURPOSES ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY ACCOMPLISHED. BY PORTRAYING VIOLENCE AS EXTRAORDINARY, THE MEDIA CONVEYS THE MESSAGE THAT ALL IS WELL UNDER THE SYSTEM. IN ADDITION, CONSOLIDATION OF THE MODEL OF SOCIAL RELATIONS WHICH GENERATES FURTHER VIOLENCE BY IMITATIVE SUSCEPTIBLE VIEWERS. THIS VIOLENCE CAN THEN BE REPRESSED WITH SUFFICIENT STATE-SANCTIONED COUNTERVIOLENCE TO KEEP THREATENING ELEMENTS QUIESCENT. ANOTHER DIVIDEND WHICH THE POWER ESTABLISHMENT CAN REAP FROM THIS TYPE OF MEDIA PROPAGANDA IS THE REINFORCEMENT OF CRIMINAL STEREOTYPES AS MEMBERS OF THE LOWER CLASSES, THE DISPOSSESSED MASSES WHICH THREATEN CAPITALIST REGIMES. ALL THESE SUBTLE MECHANISMS OF SOCIAL CONTROL AND NEGATIVE PSYCHODYNAMICS HELP POWER ELITES IN CAPITALIST COUNTRIES TO MAINTAIN THEIR CONTROL OVER THE HITHERTO LONG-SUFFERING PROLETARIATS. --IN SPANISH.