Deviance & Control in a Feature Film `Boyz n the Hood`

Deviance is a variation from the norm. Everything from picking boogers in public to murdering somebody is considering an act of deviance. There are many theories of deviation and the film Boyz in the Hood and it provides a good base for understanding and providing real life examples concerning deviant behavior. The major issues apparent in the film are concerning the control and labeling theory which gives insight into the characters lives. Boyz N the Hood provides many examples of the deviance and control theories.Deviance in statistics is the variations in what the outcomes are supposed to be. In sociology a deviant is a person who isn’t what he should normally be. Any variation from social, cultural or religious norms can be deviation. â€Å"In a recent book about deviance, Douglas (1984) has identified rape, homosexuality and terrorism as major categories of deviance today, and his choice of these highlights a recurrent concern among sociologists to link an analysis of de viance with that of particular forms of sexual and violent behavior.Indeed, a quick glance through the contents of any book dealing with deviance is likely to reveal an interest in making sense of forms of sexual behavior as diverse as prostitution, child abuse, homosexuality, transexualism and extra-marital sexual activity. Similarly with respect to violence, interest has been shown in gang violence, rape, juvenile delinquency, football hooliganism and acts of terrorism. To this list of concerns, however, should be added studies looking at less spectacular forms of deviances such as alcohol dependence, childlessness, stuttering, and solvent use† (Aggleton 1-2)Many of these deviations are portrayed in the movie. The most significant ones relate to crime, murder, sex, and alcohol and drug abuse. A lot less spectacular forms of deviation are also apparent in the movie. One example of this is when Ricky urinates in one of the alleys right before his death. By studying this film c losely a lot of deviant behaviors can be pointed at easily. â€Å"John Singleton’s 1991 film Boyz N the Hood in the context on American sub cultural deviance theories†¦ presents aspects of many of the major theories of deviance (labeling, strain, social control, and differential association).(Leblanc, 1998, p. 64) The major characters Tre, tre’s father, Ricky and Doughboy represent different forms of deviance and control. Tre’s father is a controller because he continuously tells everyone around him to start thinking. Tre is different than the other people in the neighborhood because his father has raised him differently. The dad tries to instill good values in his son so he can succeed and not conform to the deviant norms of his surroundings. Tre’s dad is also active in social control. In one scene after the SAT exam Tre’s dad takes Tre and Ricky out to see something.He brings them to a billboard in the neighborhood and asks the two boys wha t they understand from it. While he explains to them what gentrification a small crowd starts to surround his sermon like speech. He says, â€Å"They want us to kill ourselves†¦ the best way you can destroy a people you take their ability to reproduce themselves. † This reflects the opening lines of the movie and the death toll concerning African Americans. â€Å"One of out of every twenty-one Black males will be murdered in their lifetime†¦most will die at the hands of another Black male.† The dad wants the people in the neighborhood to stop killing each other because â€Å"you’re doing exactly what they want you to do, you have to think†¦ about your future. † This reflects the control theory and how the dad manages to keep a strong relationship with his son. The control theory states that the closer people are to each other and the stronger their bonds they will be less likely to deviate. Continuously throughout the movie the dad talks to his son about everything and tries to teach him along the way. Another example in the movie is when the dad gives him advice about not having children at a young age.He says that any guy can a have a child but raising one makes him a man. Also after the SAT exam the dad tells the boys how the exam is biased and math is the only section that is universally unbiased in the exam. The father son relationship is not there when it comes to Tre’s friends. Ricky and Doughboy are half brothers and there father is never around. Doughboy is the deviant in the family whereas Ricky tries to stay away from trouble. The control theory states that people who have stronger bonds are less like to deviate compared to people who have weaker bonds.The boys’ behavior and their future can be observed and analyzed by both the control theory and the labeling theory. When their lives are analyzed according to the labeling theory it is easy to see why the two brothers act in a specific way. â⠂¬Å"The labeling theory states that of people are called something or told who they are often enough shall begin to act in that manner. † (Leblanc, 1998, p. 64) For example, if a child is labeled a bully in school even if he has done the act one and continues to be called a bully it is quite likely that he will try to or conform to the label that has been given to him.On the other hand if a person is told that they can excel over and over again they will most like live up to those expectations. In the movie this contrast is observed between Ricky and Doughboy. Their mother continuously puts Doughboy down and praises Ricky. â€Å"You ain’t shit, you don’t do shit, and you ain’t never going to amount to shit,† is one of the remarks passed by the mother to Doughboy. When we observe the first half of the movie which depicts the boys childhood it is apparent that Doughboy was not always a deviant. When the boys in the hood, pun intended, take away Rickyà ¢â‚¬â„¢s football Doughboy is appalled.The child simply wants his brother to have his ball back. He stands up for his brother and he gets beaten up. Because of his personality type he gets into trouble. Eventually his mother starts putting him down because he is continuously getting into trouble. â€Å"The labeling theory suggests that this would explain why he was in jail most of his life, deals drugs, kills people, and is eventually murdered in the end of the movie. This theory also suggests that the encouragement of his mother led Ricky to become a football star and receive a scholarship to USC. † (Leblanc, 1998, p.64)In the end of the movie, Ricky dies when other guys from the neighborhood shoot him and Doughboy dies two weeks after avenging his brother’s death. The assumption can be made that Doughboy was murdered by the people connected to his brother’s murderers. When he is young he gets into trouble and starts going down a slippery slope because he defen ds his brother and when he gets old he dies trying to avenge his brother’s death. When the lives of Ricky and Doughboy are observed according to the control theory we can have an even better understanding of why Ricky is the polar opposite of his brother.The control theory talks about the affect of strong bonds between people. Ever since Ricky is little he has had a stronger bond with the people around him. Although both the boys’ fathers’ are never present Ricky has a football that his father gave to him. When they grow up Ricky has a stronger bond with his mom and his mom favors him more. Ricky also has a girlfriend who lives in his house and a son. Ricky has reasons to not deviate. Although his premarital sexual relationship and having a child before marriage is a type of deviation he does not conform to the deviations that his brother does.At the end of the movie when Ricky is dead and Doughboy is talking to Tre he says that he has no one, no brother and no mom. He says that his mom never loved him and it was all about Tre. Doughboy and his weak bonds with the people around him led him to deviate more often. Both the labeling theory and the control theory help us understand the lives of the brothers and how they behaved. Tre’s father is one of the controllers in the movie and his portrayal of a Black man who thinks is presented respectfully. He continuously teaches his son to think and stay away from deviant behavior.After Ricky’s death he explains to Tre that he should not go out to seek revenge because that is exactly what the system is designed to do. He tells his son that if he wants to shoot a man he should shoot his dad first and that it is too stupid to loose Tre over a stupid battle. His message to Tre and everyone else has always been to stop killing each other and pursue a life that is better. With his guidance Tre is one of the characters that is alive at the end of the movie and goes to college. Although Ricky gets accepted and has a scholarship he dies before he can even embark upon the opportunity.The other controller is Tre’s mother. Ever since he was young he has taught him to stick to his word and that there would be consequences if he wouldn’t. He ends up living with is father because he has gotten into a fight at school and his acts have been a breech of contract with his mom. When we compare Tre’s and Doughboy’s childhood they were both involved in confrontations and physical fights as young children. The only thing different was that Tre had a set of parents who were controllers and instilled strong bonds with each other. The police officer is also a controller in the movie except he presented cynically.He believes that everyone in the neighborhood is a deviant and should die. When he comes to Tre’s house after a break in he tells them that the burglar should have been shot and that he shouldn’t have gotten away. He is extremely cynical and does not believe in the betterment of the people in the neighborhood. When Tre is older he is pulled over by the same police officer although he hasn’t broken the law. The officer pulls him over out of spite and just to see if he has been drinking, possesses any drugs or weapons. There are many acts of neutralization present in the movie when the deviants try to justify their behavior.At the sermon in front of the billboard that Tre’s dad gives about people killing themselves over stupid things and conforming to the system a few guys listening in try to defend their actions. They say that if someone â€Å"messes with them† or causes any trouble they are not going to tolerate anything and take action. They say that they will not tolerate any sort of misconduct or even an attitude problem and resort to killing if they need to. This is later reflected in the movie when Ricky gets murdered over an argument. At a party he gets shoved in the arm so he starts yelli ng at the other guys.Those guys are scared away initially by Doughboys gun but then they come back to kill Ricky. This shows that whatever Tre’s dad says has a lot of truth to it and that when a deviant deviates he doesn’t see it as a deviation. He sees it as an act of neutralization. He is simply standing up for himself and defending him self. He is simply justifying his cause. The quality of a deviant is that he fights back each time. Every little thing such as the role of an eye or an argument is reason enough to kill someone. Sometimes people deviate intentionally because they want to prove people wrong.Sometimes people deviate because they are living up to their labels. Sometimes people deviate because they don’t know any better. Tre’s insistence on having sec with his Catholic girlfriend can be considered deviant behavior because he is going against what his parents have told him. His girlfriend gets angry with him but he does not resort to further deviations. Doughboy gets labeled a deviant from an early age but he never fights back to clear the misconception. He continuously involves himself in activities that live upto his reputation.This film seeks to normalize society. The message at the end of the movie is to stop and to create peace. The movie shows a real life depiction of what happens in the hood and how it hurts everyone living in it. It sheds light on how their behavior is affecting them negatively. They show all aspects of particular societal trends in order to create awareness among the people. The movie asks questions about traditional ways of controlling a form of deviance when it highlights the role of the police officer and the kids who try to fight deviance.The police officer just wants to kill everybody and is an extreme cynic and Ricky believes that the only way to stop another deviant is by acting the same way with him. The police officer hopes that the guy who broke in the house should have been dead and that everyone on the street is a gangster. All throughout the movie deviant behavior can be clearly spotted. The only way to normalize deviant behavior is to understand why it happens and how it happens. Young kids like Ricky all over the world end up committing crimes because of the weak bonds they have.They end up deviating from societal norms because they have been labeled a specific way. They already have a reputation and they feel that they cannot get away from it. They accept what society has labeled them and give into the norms of deviation. Kids who have stronger bonds with family and society on the other hand can easily breakaway from any childhood delinquencies they were a part of like Tre. People should understand that the labeling theory is not always negative and that it can be used to boost people’s morale and have positive outcomes.This happened for Ricky because of the continuous support from his mom but in the end he did not live to see any of it. This is why the control theory should be implanted along with the labeling theory in a positive way. When people realize the roots of the problem only then will they be able to fix it. The movie is a message to all the people of America to realize what happens in the certain neighborhoods and how to eradicate the problem. The message is to stop killing each other and to promote peace. References Aggleton, P. (1987). Deviance. Society now. London: Tavistock. Leblanc, Lauraine (1998, January). Observing Reel Life: Using Feature Films to Teach Ethnographic Methods. Teaching Sociology, 1, Retrieved June 16, 2008, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.lib.uh.edu/stable/1318681?seq=3 Singleton, J (1990). Boyz N the Hood. (movie)   

The Fashion Channel Case

Introduction The Fashion Channel is losing highly valued viewers to competitors, causing a projected decrease in advertising revenue. TFH needs a plan to improve its ratings and increase its advertising revenue. We recommend that TFH implement scenario three and target the Fashion's and Shoppers/Planners. As we will show, this dual targeting plan has the highest income potential by bringing in the younger, highly valued viewers needed to increase advertising revenue. Analysis We recommend the third scenario of targeting both the Fashion's and theShoppers/Planners because it offers the highest ad revenue potential (see Appendix 1). Even though this plan has the highest total expenses, it results in the highest net income and margin potential (see Appendix 1). If TFH implemented scenario two and targeted only the Fashion's, the CPM would go up drastically. However, Fashion's only represent 15% of households and the average number of viewers would go down (see Appendix 2). On the other hand, if TFH targets both Fashion's and Shoppers/Planners the CPM and the average number of viewers will increase, exulting in higher revenues (see Appendix 2).The first scenario is not a good option because it increases advertising revenues only a small amount. Implementation The implementation plan involves 3 major steps. The first step is to research the two segments and find out what kind of programming will attract and retain both segments. The second step would be to invest in the new programming. The third step is to begin an advertising, promotions, and public relations campaign targeting the two segments. Risks The implementation of this plan has some risks that need to be mitigated.The three ajar risks are: 1) the plan only attracts Fashion's 2) the plan only attracts Shoppers/Planners 3) the plan alienates TFTP current customers. If the plan only attracts the Fashion's, then revenue will not be as high as expected, as shown in Appendix 1 under scenario 2. However, the exp enses would be much lower and income would still be much higher than in 2006. If the plan only attracts the Shoppers/Planners, then CPM would go down causing advertising revenue to decrease (see Appendix 3). This can be mitigated by focusing more on Fashion's than Shoppers/Planners while still trying to attract both. The Fashion Channel Case Starting in 1996 TFH (the fashion channel) had a great success because of a big audience and no competitors in the business. Noticing the great success competitors such as CNN and lifetime started to also have fashion-based programmer. Since viewers now having a choice to decide which channel they want to watch the viewer numbers of TFH starter to decrease. A reason for this is shown by an alpha research which pointed out that both CNN and lifetime got a better feedback in customers satisfaction in consumer interest as well as in awareness and also perceived value.Having their viewer numbers decreasing, TFH has to pay even more attention on their two main revenue streams: cable affiliate fees and advertising! Therefore they wanted to know who their audience is to can better react to them. They reached this with help of a detailed demographic breakdown which leaded to the result, that 61% of their viewers are female and 33% being aged 18-34 which is less then 45% being aged 35-54, but the younger group is stronger in this business Additional to this they did a SFA associated survey which divided the audience into 4 groups:Factionists: highly engaged in fashion with being 15% of all viewers, 61% being female and 50% being aged 18-34; Planners and Shoppers: participants in fashion on a regular basis with being 35% of all viewers, 54% being female and 25% being aged 18-34; Sustainability: participants in fashion for specific needs with being 30% of all viewers, 50% being female and 30% being aged 18-34. Also they have 45% with children in the household; Basics: not interested in fashion with being 20% of all viewers and 45% being female. 2) Which research method was most helpful to you in developing and evaluating the segmentation options?As mentioned before, there are four groups resulting from the SFA associated research. Combines with the results from the demographic breakdown we think it is really helpful for ETC. Indeed, with these researches they have the opp ortunity to realize who their audience is and so they can work on getting a new audience, probably within the other groups. They also understand who is the most powerful group in their business so that they can work on reaching their needs and with these information it was possible to work out the segmentation options. 3) What are the segmentation options?Broad-based marketing: The goal is to develop a multi-segment strategy with a strong focus on â€Å"Factionists† and the â€Å"Planners&shoppers† and also have a focus on women aged between 18 and 34 since this is the most powerful group – as mentioned before. â€Å"Fashions† segmentation: In this segmentation the focus is strong only on â€Å"Factionists†. The plan is to spend $ 15 million on programming. It is a single segment concentration. â€Å"Factionists† plus â€Å"Planners & shoppers† segmentation: This one is a product specialized segmentation with focus on both â€Å"Fact ionists† and â€Å"Shoppers & Planners†.TFH has to spend $ 20 million on programming in this case. 4) What is the project financial impact of each of the option? Scenario number 3 has the best financial result: against an increment of $20. 000. 000 in fixed costs and an increment of $4. 151. 347 in variable costs, the increment of revenue by Ad sales increases by $138. 378. 240 and the company can have the maximum net income ($168. 867. 232) and also the maximum margin (39%). Scenario number 1, instead, is the worst one: The Fashion Channel doesn't have extra fixed cost but also their income are the lowest one ($249. 080. 832) that is $96. 864. 68 lower than in scenario 3. In this case, the firm can match the same result that reached in 2006. Scenario 2 is a little worst than scenario 3: they have a little few fixed cost ($70. 000. 000) as they gain less revenue by Ad sales ($322. 882. 560) and also the net income and the margin are not performing as in scenario 3. 5) C ompare the segmentation options. What are the Pros & Cons (Strengths & Weaknesses) of each option? 1 . Broad Appeal (Broad multi-segment approach) – Scenario 1 Cross segment of Factionists, Planners & Shoppers, and Sustainability Woman aged 18 to 34 in all of the clusters 2.Factionists – Scenario 2 Alternative to a broad, multi-segment approach – focus on single segment (Factionists) 0 aggressive approach. Strong in the highly valued 18-34 female demographic. 3. The Factionists and the Shoppers/Planners – Scenario 3 Dual targeting of two segments (Factionists and Shoppers/Planners). 6) What is your recommendation? After the analysis of costs, revenues and net income and the review of advantages and disadvantages of the three options, according to us the best solution is the scenario 3: the â€Å"Fashions† plus â€Å"Planners/Shoppers† segmentation.We understand that the risk involved with this scenario is very high. TFH will lose some of the ir most loyal consumers by re-positioning the channel towards factionists and the planners/shoppers. Furthermore, Exhibit 5 show us that this scenario also requires more programming and operational expenses. On the other hand, â€Å"Factionists† has superior interest in fashion and â€Å"Planners & Shoppers† has the largest cluster size, so it is a good choice to combine them. Indeed â€Å"Planners & Shoppers† will improve he rating in order to attract more ad buyers and at the same time â€Å"Factionists† will enhance the CPM to gain more ad revenue.Moreover, from the Exhibits 4 and 5 we can observe that scenario 3 gives the more revenue that the others and it provides more net income and a better margin than the other two options. To conclude, the benefits truly do seem to outweigh the risks in this scenario and we recommend that targeting at two valued groups â€Å"Factionists† and â€Å"Planners & shoppers† is the best solution to this p roblem. It will create more revenues (above all from advertising), aka TFH get back market shares quickly and maintain Tiff's leading status and core viewer loyalty.Obviously, The Fashion Channel will also implement this new marketing plan. One of the more difficult challenges for TFH is trying to keep their older loyal consumers while attracting the new factionists and planners/shoppers (18-34 female audience), otherwise they could certainly lose more than they gain. In order to achieve this aim, TFH should analyze the loyal consumers' favorite programs and make sure to keep these programs when they begin their new marketing plan.Moreover, The Fashion Channel should look at Lifetime and their Fashion Today program to gain a better understanding of how they market to their 18-34 year-old female audience, so they will be in a very advantageous position to capture a large share of the market. Furthermore, TFH must continually find ways to improve consumer interest, awareness, and perc eived value. Lastly, TFH must be aware of its competition and be ready to differentiate and re-position its programs in order to earn the best TV ratings and capture the most market share. The Fashion Channel Case Introduction The Fashion Channel is losing highly valued viewers to competitors, causing a projected decrease in advertising revenue. TFH needs a plan to improve its ratings and increase its advertising revenue. We recommend that TFH implement scenario three and target the Fashion's and Shoppers/Planners. As we will show, this dual targeting plan has the highest income potential by bringing in the younger, highly valued viewers needed to increase advertising revenue. Analysis We recommend the third scenario of targeting both the Fashion's and theShoppers/Planners because it offers the highest ad revenue potential (see Appendix 1). Even though this plan has the highest total expenses, it results in the highest net income and margin potential (see Appendix 1). If TFH implemented scenario two and targeted only the Fashion's, the CPM would go up drastically. However, Fashion's only represent 15% of households and the average number of viewers would go down (see Appendix 2). On the other hand, if TFH targets both Fashion's and Shoppers/Planners the CPM and the average number of viewers will increase, exulting in higher revenues (see Appendix 2).The first scenario is not a good option because it increases advertising revenues only a small amount. Implementation The implementation plan involves 3 major steps. The first step is to research the two segments and find out what kind of programming will attract and retain both segments. The second step would be to invest in the new programming. The third step is to begin an advertising, promotions, and public relations campaign targeting the two segments. Risks The implementation of this plan has some risks that need to be mitigated.The three ajar risks are: 1) the plan only attracts Fashion's 2) the plan only attracts Shoppers/Planners 3) the plan alienates TFTP current customers. If the plan only attracts the Fashion's, then revenue will not be as high as expected, as shown in Appendix 1 under scenario 2. However, the exp enses would be much lower and income would still be much higher than in 2006. If the plan only attracts the Shoppers/Planners, then CPM would go down causing advertising revenue to decrease (see Appendix 3). This can be mitigated by focusing more on Fashion's than Shoppers/Planners while still trying to attract both.

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Trinidad and Tobago is a good country to do Internation Business with Term Paper

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African Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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