I watched the documentary “Deputized” during my crime and media class the other night. I found it to be very interesting and definitely an eye opener. As much as I don’t want to believe that horrible things like such happen, the reality is that they in fact do; a lot more often than most people think nonetheless. The movie is about the stabbing that occurred in Patchogue, New York a few years ago. About 7 high school boys would go out “beaner bashing” for fun, typically drunk or under the influence of a drug. One night, one Hispanic man actually tried to fight back until one of the boys Jeffrey Conroy, stabbed him. It took 40 minutes for the victim to finally arrive at the hospital that was only 4 miles away. Marcelo Lucero, the victim, died shortly after arriving to the hospital. The wound was not life threatening but since it took so long for him to get medical attention, he bled out and died. This was a horrible way for this innocent man to die and I find it disgusting what those boys did. The father of Jeffrey Conroy was in the film and also at my college for the presentation. I was offended when he spoke and thought he was extremely ignorant. He felt that his son was only 17 and he was just trying to have a good time. He does not apologize for his sons actions or think they were wrong. At 17, a person absolutely knows the difference between right and wrong and the consequences for their actions. The father also defended his son against the accusation of being racist by saying that he said Hispanic friends and a Hispanic girlfriend. Just because Jeff might have had a few Hispanic friends does not exclude him from being a racist by any means. I was appalled when I heard the father speak during the film and could not believe that he viewed his son as the victim and not the man minding his own business who lost his life over teenagers stupidity and violence. I was relieved to hear the sentencing for all the boys. Jeff received 25 years in prison, and the other 6 boys received around 8 years. I think the sentences were fair and just, unlike most other cases I hear about.
Archive for March, 2013
I took my daughter to MacArthur Airport today,as she was going to her fathers for a few days and her grandmothers. It didn’t take long to get there. Once she had gotten her boarding pass and I got a gate pass, we were told that there was a two hour delay. That was the pits. There is absolutely nothing to do in the airport. You can sit there and be bored or spend your money. If you’re hungry or thirsty, the food and beverages are expensive. I was glad that I brought some magazines with me to read. A few of the other people were taking naps; as we eventually did. Her plane finally left at 6pm. All told we were there for four hours. Fun! She landed safely in Orlando.
In the media over the last fifty years, America has seen a glorification of gangs and the Italian mob more specifically. The mob has been the subject of numerous successful TV shows and movies. However I am sure that everything the mob is portrayed to be should not be glorified. There are many famous murder scenes in these mob classics that glorify the power that the mob possessed. For example in the Godfather which is arguably the best mob movie ever made. Michael Corleone the head of the family or the Don orders the murders of the five families and everyone who might oppose him. These murders are carried out while Michael Corleone is at his nephews baptism.
There are many more of these types of scenes in the media, both in television and movies this might be the problem.People don’t realize that the mob is a very dangerous entity, that shouldn’t be glorified in the media. Also most people don’t understand or know how many people the Italian mob have killed. So people just blindly watch and enjoy movies like Goodfellas and Casino or TV shows like Boardwalk Empire or the Sopranos without realizing how disturbing the mob really is.
For example Murder inc was a group of mobsters who carried out contract killings for the Italian and Jewish mafias in the 1930s. They reportedly could have killed anywhere from four hundred to one thousand people. Murder Incorporated was the biggest contract killing group of its kind and one can only imagine that there were plenty other contract killers for the mob and how many people they may have killed.
The media continues to glorify mobs and gangs because it sell and people enjoy watching it. However why would we want mass violence and crime to be gloried through the media.
I watch the new show on FOX ‘The Following’ and it is very intriguing. The premise behind the show is a serial killer who forms a cult from within the maximum security prison he is in. He is extremely persuasive and charming so it is very easy for people to be convinced by him. Joe Carroll, the cult leader/serial killer, was a professor at a University and uses romantic literature, mainly Edgar Allen Poe to grab peoples attention. In the show, Carroll’s Cult has been compared to Waco and Jonestown. All cults must have a charismatic and powerful leader that controls all members. Other popular cults are the Manson family and Hitler. All of those leaders convinced hundreds of people and most of them didn’t even have to kill their victims themselves. Cults are scary and can happen anywhere and anyone can be involved. Cult leaders are filled with empty promises and hope. They convince their followers to do things they normally wouldn’t do under other circumstances. These people believe that what they are doing is for the greater good of mankind which helps them justify their actions, no matter how violent. Although not entirely common, cults are very dangerous especially since they typically involve a tremendous amount of people including innocent children.
I couldn’t think of anything to blog about tonight. My weekend was a little crazy. I worked and went to a breakfast fundraiser for MS; Multiple Sclerosis. A friend has been diagnosed with it. Oh, I also had to study for a test and finish four essays. So please excuse the shortness of this blog.
Desensitization.
Posted: March 15, 2013 by kfusari in UncategorizedTags: children, crimes, desensitized, violence
Our culture has become very desensitized to violence, it’s scary in my opinion. Children at very young ages are playing violent video games that involve murder, theft, auto theft, sex and even cursing. If the child doesn’t learn these bad behaviors at home they definitely pick them up through video games. The worst part of that situation is the parents not even knowing how inappropriate the game is. Smaller children go through stages of development where they imitate things they see. Certain video games cause the kids to act out aggressively because of that. If kids are being exposed to these types of actions at a young age, they become numb to it and think that is what reality is like. This mental state is absolutely not normal and can lead these children down a very dangerous path. Unfortunately the news is filled with mostly negative stories that nothing really surprises viewers anymore. Almost every day there is a story about domestic violence, robberies, assault, murders, school shootings, threats, rapes, drunk driving and many more horrific crimes. Some people (like me) get paranoid and hyper-cautious going about their daily lives, but most just shrug it off because they are exposed to it constantly. Desensitization is not a good thing. According to this article desensitization can lower a persons helping behavior. This means that when someone is the witness to a crime, they are much less likely to help because they see bad things happen all the time and they aren’t phased by it. This can lead to even more crimes to be committed and more people getting away with such crimes. We are going down a slippery slope and i believe something needs to be done to change that.
During one of my classes we discussed different articles which were about Guns and the laws surrounding them. Some of the things which i do not agree with are how the media portrays the incidents which occur with gun violence. Many things portrayed in the media make it seem as if everyone who own guns are out of control and dangerous. Nine times out of ten those statements are false. We should not classify everyone into one category because of some irresponsible people’s mistakes. In our class we saw some media feeds which showed that people assume many things just based off what they hear. The question that stands in my mind is how can you judge based off what you hear? how can you assume that what you hear is true? I have learned not to judge by what i hear but rather judge by what i know to be a hundred percent true.
Yesterdays Newsday had an article that caught my eye and my anger, again. “An Air Force general’s decision to overturn the conviction of a standout fighter pilot on sexual assault charges is stirring anger on Capitol Hill, where some lawmakers say they are losing patience with the military after a string of related scandals.” Lt. General Craig Franklin, Commander of the 3rd Air Force in Europe, ordered the pilot’s release from prison on February 26th and tossed out his conviction without explanation. He, Lt. Col. James Wilkerson, was found guilty by an all-male jury. They thought he was guilty, but the general didn’t? This doesn’t make people who have been sexually assaulted want to report it to their superiors.
The article stated that the general does not know the defendant. In it, “the general concluded that there was “insufficient evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt” and decided he “could not in good conscience, sustain the conviction,” according to Lt. Col. Paul Baldwin, an Air Force spokesman.” But, what about the victim?, they obviously don’t matter, since he or she was a civilian employee. I guess he didn’t want to ruin Wilkerson’s career or life, but it was all right to ruin the life of the victim?
Lt. Gen. Franklin, a three star general, is not a judge and didn’t observe the trial. He is the senior officer in Wilkerson’s chain of command, and had the final say in the court-martial process. According to Air Force officials, he reviewed the entire trial record, Wilkerson’s clemency appeal and a personal letter from the victim. So, it seems that he only took Wilkerson’s plea into consideration, not the victims. Commanders have the right to dismiss cases, but according to the article, it is rare for a whole case to be dismissed.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, a member of the Armed Services Committee and a former prosecutor, wrote a letter to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Gen. Mark Welsh, Air Force Chief of Staff and asked them to consider firing Franklin.
The article also went on to say that this exists in the other branches of the military also, and that the Senate Armed Services Committee is holding meetings on Wednesday on the sexual assault problems.
With the “new kid” on the block (Sequester Cuts), gun control and Immigration are put on the back burner, for now. This temporary reprieve from governmental intrusion on citizen’s 2nd Amendment rights stems from the current administration’s focus on cutting the national debt, which is nearly $16 trillion. For those opposed to the draconian gun control laws federal and local legislators are pushing for, this isn’t a victory, merely a lull from battle. Below is the article originating from the Huffington Post.
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