2x2

Dang it Robin! Those were the projects that I wanted to compare. Uh whatever, I’m doing them anyway.
I thought that both of these presentations were very interesting. I wish that we could have talked about them more in class because we were having a very good discussion. There is clearly a link between addiction and prison so these are perfect projects to compare. After all, a vast number of inmates are in prison in part due to the fact that they are/were addicts at one point in their life. Being addicted to illegal substances can often directly get you sent to prison where as being addicted to legal substances can indirectly get you sent to prison. For example, alcohol impairs your judgment and makes it easier for you to rationalize illegal acts. I think that it would be really interesting to know what percentage of violent crimes (murder, rape, etc.) are committed while under the influence of mind altering substances. I bet that it would be pretty high. The prison group also talked a lot about how people with a low IQ tend to get sent to prison more often than those with a higher IQ. While this may be true I believe that that many high-end crimes are committed by brilliant people. For example, a very high number of serial killers have genius level IQ’s (ex. Ted Bundy). Someone in our class mentioned that this probably has something to do with fact that only the dumb criminals get caught. I would have to agree with this statement which is why we, as a society, we find it so interesting when a smart person gets caught. I feel like this same idea is true when it comes to many different types of addicts. It seems like very intelligent people are more prone depression and mental illness (By the way, I have no proof behind this statement, it’s just what I’ve seen in my life that lends me to believe this). This leads them to find something to make the pain go away and often times they turn to drugs and alcohol. Those are just some of my thoughts on the projects, now to actually link them to our class.
Paradigm shifts seem to be very pertinent to the prison project. As displayed by the group’s timeline, prison used to be thought of as a place to rehabilitate. It was a place where they would be prepared to go back into the real world and be productive members of society. Prisoners also seemed to be viewed as someone who had something “wrong” with them and needed help. Today prison is viewed very differently. Prisoners are often seen as horrible people who need to be locked away and “punished” for the rest of their lives. It is also just a place to keep them away from normal members of society and no longer a place to rehabilitate them. Prison just seems to be viewed as a more horrible place than it used to be.
When it comes to the addictions project, legitimation seems to apply. Some addictions are more socially acceptable than others. For example, we legitimize alcoholism, prescription drug addictions and sex addiction, because they are legal. After all, they can’t be that bad if they are legal, right? In reality they can be just as dangerous as illegal addictions.
As a side note, check this out because it links very well to the incest project (I really hope that it’s not real).
http://nz.lifestyle.yahoo.com/new-idea/real-life/article/-/7124792/im-in-love-with-my-grandson-were-having-a-baby/