Display of Social Deviance in Television Shows

Social deviance comprises an integral part of the social life. The media coverage of social deviance normally involves news reports or coverage of crimes by media to inform the audience about crimes, although it is only the most notorious crimes that attract media attention and are in the news. However, if one is looking for more crimes to watch on television, there are social deviance television shows that depict various crimes and help the audience to get insight into diverse social deviance patterns that occur on the regular basis. Therefore, television shows depict various types of social deviance but their focus on the entertainment and education of the audience but they do not explore root causes of the problem of crimes and how those crimes could have been prevented, while the revelation of such causes is necessary for the prevention of crimes from reoccurrence.

Social deviance is attractive for television because deviance raises the audience’s interest and attracts viewers. This is why television shows that depict social deviance emerged and have become very popular now. Media attempt to reach the audience and crimes and deviant behavior are attractive to the audience because the depiction of such issues raises strong emotions in the audience. As a result, media get high ratings and huge audience, while the audience gets strong emotions. At first glance, this is the perfect match, but the analysis of the quality of television shows that involve social deviance is needed to determine the effect such television shows have on the audience. Producers of such shows often declare that their primary goal is to prevent crime and show people that the punishment for crimes is inevitable, but they do not always reach this goal, while the analysis of the content, nature and key messages of some television shows reveals the fact that they are not even close to meet that goal.

Television shows depict various social deviance which may range from minor crimes to the investigation of series of crimes and the most notorious crimes. The type of show defines the type of crime depicted in it. Some shows focus on minor crimes. Others focus on the investigation and analysis of grave ones. At this point, it is worth mentioning such shows as Cops, Dexter, Weeds and others. Television shows depict crimes, investigate them or just create fictional characters and depict social deviance. Each show focuses on the specific audience. This is why there is the large diversity of television shows dedicated to social deviance.

However, one of the major problems of television shows that focus on the display of social deviance is the entertaining nature of such shows. Even though there is some morale behind those shows which they attempt to convey to the audience, their main point is still to entertain the audience, while their main purpose should be to make people aware of the problem of deviance and urge changes that will prevent crimes. Television shows do not raise the public to take a proactive stand and do something to reduce crime rates. Instead, they entertain the audience  and viewers just have fun or entertain, while watching crimes. Such depiction of social deviance leads to the annihilation of the true, real life effect of crime on people. Viewers view the crime as a part of the show (Selman & Leighton, 2010). They do not weigh its effects and the fact that the crime is harmful. Instead, the crime becomes entertaining for the audience due to popular television shows. As a result, the crime becomes a norm, an entertaining item which people just like to watch in their favorite television show.

Moreover, some shows depict deviant behavior not only in an entertaining style but also in a positive light. For example, Weeds is a TV series, a comedy that just makes fun of the criminal behavior of the main character, who attempts to earn for living by cultivating and selling marijuana. In such a way, in contrast to frequently declared goal of the crime prevention, television shows tend to depict crime and make the crime a sheer entertainment, a norm, which the huge audience takes for granted.

Also, there are such issues as misrepresentation of minorities or one-sided representation of crimes from the standpoint of law enforcement officers. For example, many shows tend to depict crimes that are committed by non-whites (Selman & Leighton, 2010). While the share of the non-white population in the criminal underworld is high, such depiction still leads to the development of deep-rooted biases. For example, people may start believing that non-white Americans are delinquent and socially dangerous.

As for the one-sided depiction of crimes, this flaw is common to many shows because they depict social deviance from the perspective of investigators mainly. As a result, they do not consider much motives and reasons of offenders. Moreover, such perspective on crimes enhances the support of the punitive approach to the criminal justice system, when the audience stands for severe punishment for severe crimes, regardless of circumstances of those crimes.

Thus, today, television shows provide the audience with a variety of shows that depict social deviance but their representation of crimes is often subjective and rather entertaining than critical. Television shows entertain the audience with crimes that makes crimes routine activities which the public does not really care about. Television shows are subjective and even discriminatory. As a result, television shows make social deviance a norm and do not urge the audience to start acting to prevent crimes.

References:

Selman, D. and P. Leighton. (2010). Punishment for Sale: Private Prisons, Big Business, and the Incarceration Binge. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 1442201738

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
Available at:

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]
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