Reactions to Deviance 6.6
Be able to discuss street crime and imprisonment, the three-strikes laws, the decline in violent crime, recidivism, bias in the death penalty, the medicalization of deviance, and the need for a more humane approach.
Whether it is cheating on a sociology quiz or holding up a liquor store, any violation of norms invites reaction.
In the following Thinking Critically about Social Life, we will consider reactions to sexting, a controversial activity of many teenagers.
After this we will turn to reactions to violent crimes.
Thinking Critically about Social Life
Sexting: Getting on the Phone Isn’t What It Used to Be
“How can we impress them?” wondered the eighth-grade girls at a sleepover.
“They don’t even know we’re interested.”
The girls came up with an idea. They took off their clothes, covered themselves with whipped cream, and sent pictures to boys of themselves licking it off.
It seemed like a good idea at the time. But not the next day.
As the girls walked to class, the boys stood around leering, laughing, and holding up the girls’ images on their cell phones.
The boys who received the images had forwarded them to their friends—who forwarded them to their friends, and so on.
And some photos were forwarded to the parents. As they say, that’s when all hell broke loose. If two people over the age of 18 send sexually explicit photos to one another, their sexting is a matter between the two. In contrast, those under the age of 18 are legally minors, and the law classifies their sexual photos as child pornography. The legal consequences can be severe.
Both those who send the photos and those who pass them on to others have possessed child pornography.
Anyone convicted of this offense will have to register as a sex offender—and this lasts for decades!
“You’re getting excited about nothing,” is a common attitude of adolescents.
“What’s the harm if we do this?
Nude selfies don’t get anyone pregnant, and they don’t spread diseases.
It’s a kind of safe sex.” (Sales 2016)
The law enforcers reply, “It’s not only stupid to show pictures of your genitals, but it’s also against the law.”
The general consensus seems to be that the law needs to catch up with this social change, that child pornography laws should not apply to minors who sext.
A developing sentiment is that educational programs are more appropriate, maybe even community service. Of course, we can’t overlook the more severe penalty—banning an offender from using cell phones for six months.
Teenagers might be naïve, but they are far from stupid.
Many skirt the legal problem by sexting via Snapchat.
Poof! After being viewed, the photos vanish without leaving a trace.
Sexting can be fun. It can also be dangerous.
If a photo is of an underage person, or sent to one, an individual can be convicted of a sexual offense against a child.
This man, Anthony Weiner, sexted a 15-year-old girl.
Weiner resigned from Congress, served 15 months of a 21-month sentence in a federal prison, spent a few weeks in a halfway house, and now must register as a sex offender. Credit: Monika Graff/The Image Works For
Your Consideration
→ Do you think that sexting by minors should be a private matter, as it is for adults? Why or why not?
→ If you think there should be sanctions for sexting by minors, which ones?
→ Should the same sanctions apply for sexting at age 13 and age 17? For nudity and for the depiction of sexual intercourse?
How Serious is Sexting a Minor? Just Ask Anthony Weiner click the link https://blog.coxwelllaw.com/how-serious-is-sexting-a-minor-just-ask-anthony-welner/
https://blog.coxwelllaw.com/how-serious-is-sexting-a-minor-just-ask-anthony-welner/
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