Deviance, Crime and Social Control

Deviance, Crime and Social Control In this journal entry, I will talk about a music video that has displayed exploitative treatment of women, glorification of juvenile violence, and glamorization of delinquent acts. As each decade passes, music videos have been subject to more violence, drug-related scenes, and exploitation of women. The video, Tip Drill, by Nelly displays money being thrown at women, bottles of liquor being poured on women, and women with barely anything on shaking their bodies and rubbing themselves against other women. The musicians are seen smoking and displaying gang signs. Also, the most disturbing scene was a scene where the rapper Nelly takes a credit card and swipes the rear end of a woman that is half naked. There are many more videos that display this type of deviance throughout the world. The acts of these music videos are extremely deviant. "Much deviant behavior occurs, or escalates, because of the social support from the group in which it develops." (Andersen & Taylor, 152) These rappers are known globally and may influence many people who find these videos entertaining. These people may then observe what these rappers are doing and in attempts to be like one or be "cool" just as the rapper, the person may indulge in these deviant acts. Many sociologists have different theories, while some may say deviance should not be allowed, some say it should be allowed. "Durkheim argued that societies actually need deviance to know what presumably normal behavior is." (Andersen & Taylor, 151) Durkheim explains that by observing deviant behavior, people can find what normal behavior is and follow it. Deviant behavior produces social solidarity in situations such as 9/11, but in situations with music videos, solidarity will not prevail. My opinion is that music videos have been taken in a whole new direction. These videos are displayed to entertain the public with music, but music has taken a direction to expression of deviance. Music videos should put deviant videos at different times, for example at a later time in the night where most of the youth is asleep. Or they should have ratings on videos as movies do. Televisions should recognize these ratings and display a code on the screen if the television is not subject to ratings of R. This code will stop youth from watching these videos and the youth will be in need of a code to observe the video. With technology today, anything can happen and anything can be created to provide security against deviance.