WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:03.439 Hello and welcome to episode six of Crime and Deviants 2 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:06.440 for The Sociology Show podcasts, and the focus of this 3 00:00:06.519 --> 00:00:10.679 episode is subcultural explanations of crime and Deviants. So we'll 4 00:00:10.720 --> 00:00:14.160 explore what do we mean by subcultures. We'll question how 5 00:00:14.199 --> 00:00:18.160 subcultures can be functional for society, how subcultures could be 6 00:00:18.199 --> 00:00:22.640 a reaction to either capitalism and patriarchy, or how subcultures 7 00:00:22.800 --> 00:00:26.719 can be linked to socialization and dependency. So crime and 8 00:00:26.760 --> 00:00:29.480 deviance can be heavily linked to the issue of subcultures. 9 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:32.719 These are groups that perceived to deviate from the normative 10 00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:35.880 standards of the dominant culture with their own distinctive norms 11 00:00:35.920 --> 00:00:40.240 and values. Subcultures are usually linked to younger crimes and 12 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:43.799 often for groups between the ages of fourteen and twenty five, 13 00:00:44.079 --> 00:00:47.479 and it's often known as juvenile delinquency. So the key 14 00:00:47.479 --> 00:00:50.240 thing with subcultural theory is that it looks at group 15 00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:53.679 crime rather than individual crime. The other thing to be 16 00:00:53.759 --> 00:00:57.840 aware of with subcultural explanations is that many subcultural theorists 17 00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:01.840 also belong to another sociological perspect so, for example, they 18 00:01:01.880 --> 00:01:04.599 could also be a functionist to Marxist, to feminists and 19 00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:09.000 so on. Subcultural groups are more likely to be marginalized 20 00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:12.000 and have low paid work or be unemployed. They are 21 00:01:12.040 --> 00:01:14.519 less likely to have strong bonds with societies such as 22 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:19.239 a family or their own high social status standing. Subcultural 23 00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:23.760 theory emerged from the work of the Chicago School. Subcultural 24 00:01:23.799 --> 00:01:26.599 theory emerged from the work of the Chicago School and 25 00:01:26.640 --> 00:01:30.079 their research on gangs, and it developed through the interactionist 26 00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:33.120 approach into a set of theories arguing that certain groups 27 00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:36.719 or subcultures in society have values and attitudes that are 28 00:01:36.760 --> 00:01:40.959 conducive to crime and violence. Subcultural theory tries to explain 29 00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:44.640 both utilitarian crime that's crime related to money, and non 30 00:01:44.760 --> 00:01:48.480 utilitarian crimes such as joy riding and vandalism. A key 31 00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:52.680 of subcultural theory is that of marginalization. Those groups that 32 00:01:52.719 --> 00:01:56.200 feel cut off and ostracized by society are much more 33 00:01:56.280 --> 00:02:00.239 likely to engage in deviant and criminal acts. Individual can 34 00:02:00.280 --> 00:02:03.920 feel marginalized due to their ethnicity, their gender, their social class, 35 00:02:03.959 --> 00:02:06.599 their age, as well as a range of other factors. 36 00:02:07.319 --> 00:02:10.560 So let's start with the idea that subcultures are functional. 37 00:02:11.240 --> 00:02:15.439 Functionist sociologists argue that devian and criminal subcultures are functional 38 00:02:15.479 --> 00:02:19.400 for certain individuals within society. Albert Cohen showed that some 39 00:02:19.439 --> 00:02:24.319 individuals joined devian and criminal subcultures to gain status. Cohen 40 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:27.960 found in particular that lower class boys strove to emulate 41 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:31.080 middle class values but were unable to do this, and 42 00:02:31.120 --> 00:02:34.960 this led to what he called a status frustration. As 43 00:02:34.960 --> 00:02:38.439 a result, they invert these values in favor of misbehaving 44 00:02:38.479 --> 00:02:41.759 in a subculture. He believed that these working class youths 45 00:02:41.800 --> 00:02:45.960 committed non utilitarian crime to gain status among other members 46 00:02:45.960 --> 00:02:50.919 of the group. Also, Venkatesh discussed outlaw capitalism, and in 47 00:02:50.960 --> 00:02:53.919 this he said how this reinforces the idea of youths 48 00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:57.479 joining criminal subcultures such as drug dealing gangs to gain 49 00:02:57.560 --> 00:03:02.759 money and as a defense mechanism. Again sainst the structural inequalities. Therefore, 50 00:03:03.080 --> 00:03:06.680 these deviant and criminal subcultures are functional for individuals as 51 00:03:06.680 --> 00:03:09.919 it allows them to gain status, earn money, and defend 52 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:13.599 each other from an unjust world. In a similar function 53 00:03:13.639 --> 00:03:16.280 of study, Cloud and Olan show how working class us 54 00:03:16.439 --> 00:03:19.960 deviate from societal norms because they don't possess the same 55 00:03:20.039 --> 00:03:24.120 legitimate opportunity structures as the middle classes. This means they 56 00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:27.919 don't have the same access to good education and jobs. Instead, 57 00:03:28.080 --> 00:03:32.439 the working classes have more access to illegitimate opportunity structures. 58 00:03:32.759 --> 00:03:36.599 This means earning money and status via crime and deviants. 59 00:03:36.879 --> 00:03:41.639 This is because criminal subcultures usually have established criminal networks, 60 00:03:42.039 --> 00:03:45.960 role models, and hierarchies that already exist in working class areas. 61 00:03:46.439 --> 00:03:49.800 These criminal subcultures are functional as it allows the working 62 00:03:49.840 --> 00:03:53.919 class individuals and groups opportunities to earn money and status 63 00:03:54.080 --> 00:03:58.039 when their legitimate means are blocked. Cloud and Olin also 64 00:03:58.120 --> 00:04:01.840 show how conflict subcultures, so those groups based on fighting 65 00:04:01.960 --> 00:04:06.520 respect or challenging authority, is also functional for certain individuals 66 00:04:06.520 --> 00:04:09.639 and groups in society. A person who is not successful 67 00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:13.919 in either of these subcultures could join a retreat a subculture, 68 00:04:14.159 --> 00:04:17.480 a world of drugs and alcohol abuse. Again, these deviant 69 00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:22.000 and criminal subcultures provide opportunities for certain individuals and groups 70 00:04:22.040 --> 00:04:25.480 to earn money and status, to challenge authority or retreat 71 00:04:25.519 --> 00:04:29.160 from society's norms. Younger groups are much more likely to 72 00:04:29.160 --> 00:04:33.040 feel pressure, which can impact deviant behavior and the chances 73 00:04:33.079 --> 00:04:37.240 of committing criminal activities. Miller argues that working class boys 74 00:04:37.240 --> 00:04:41.360 in particular are attracted to criminal subcultural deviants as they 75 00:04:41.360 --> 00:04:44.120 are socialized into a particular set of norms and values 76 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:48.319 that he calls focal concerns. They may, for example, be 77 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:52.800 attracted to excitement or toughness, or smartness or trouble, autonomy, 78 00:04:52.879 --> 00:04:56.160 or even fate. This idea is supported by the work 79 00:04:56.160 --> 00:04:58.759 of David Matsa, who argues that young males are more 80 00:04:58.839 --> 00:05:02.519 likely to experience what he can Drift Drift theory argues 81 00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:06.399 that juveniles sense an obligation to the law. This obligation 82 00:05:06.519 --> 00:05:09.600 to the law remains in place most of the time. However, 83 00:05:09.720 --> 00:05:13.360 when this obligation is strained, juvenile delinquents tend to drift 84 00:05:13.480 --> 00:05:18.160 into crime. Matsa also argues that young males use techniques 85 00:05:18.199 --> 00:05:22.439 of neutralization to justify their criminality. He suggests there are 86 00:05:22.480 --> 00:05:26.160 five techniques in the form of denial of responsibility, denial 87 00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:30.240 of injury, denial of victims, appeal to higher loyalties, and 88 00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:35.759 condemnation of condemners. So why else may groups form subcultures 89 00:05:35.839 --> 00:05:38.560 will It could be that devian and criminal subcultures are 90 00:05:38.600 --> 00:05:43.800 reacting or rebelling against capitalism. Marxists argue that devian and 91 00:05:43.839 --> 00:05:47.959 criminal youth subcultures are a resistance to capitalism and consumerism. 92 00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:51.319 Gram She points out that working class US are yet 93 00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:54.959 to be ideologically controlled by capitalism and still have the 94 00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:59.560 capacity for free thought to challenge the system. Therefore, devian 95 00:05:59.560 --> 00:06:02.800 and criminal youth subcultures are ways for working classes to 96 00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:07.360 rebel against cultural hegemony. Heabdige takes Gramschey's idea further by 97 00:06:07.399 --> 00:06:11.040 showing us how the use of alternative, spectacular youth subcultures 98 00:06:11.279 --> 00:06:15.040 such as punks and hippies are used to reject cultural hegemony. 99 00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:19.720 These spectacular youth subcultures create their own distinctive stars in 100 00:06:19.759 --> 00:06:23.199 an attempt to solve the problems of capitalism, but according 101 00:06:23.240 --> 00:06:28.480 to Hebdige, the solutions they offer are imaginary solutions. Scraton, 102 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:30.759 on the other hand, shows how deviant and criminal youth 103 00:06:30.759 --> 00:06:35.399 subcultures emerge as a legitimate resistance to oppression and exclusion. 104 00:06:35.879 --> 00:06:40.240 For example, working classes are excluded from legitimate opportunities such 105 00:06:40.279 --> 00:06:43.959 as education and employment, and are therefore justified in creating 106 00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:48.439 and maintaining anti school subcultures to rebel against the injustice 107 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:52.319 or the injustices they feel they are facing. For example, 108 00:06:52.439 --> 00:06:57.360 ethnic minorities may face historical, structural, and individual racism, which 109 00:06:57.480 --> 00:07:02.120 ultimately excludes them from legitimate oportunity, and therefore these groups 110 00:07:02.279 --> 00:07:06.920 are justified in politically resisting these structural inequalities via political 111 00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:10.399 protests such as Black Lives Matter, or joining gangs and 112 00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:16.519 participating in alternative lifestyles that conflict with mainstream society. Therefore, 113 00:07:16.600 --> 00:07:19.439 Marxists show that marginalized groups such as the working classes 114 00:07:19.480 --> 00:07:23.240 and ethnic minorities are resisting the external forces of a 115 00:07:23.240 --> 00:07:28.160 capitalist society. Likewise, deviant and criminal subcultures could be a 116 00:07:28.199 --> 00:07:33.199 reaction to patriarchy. Both female and male dominated subcultures can 117 00:07:33.240 --> 00:07:35.920 be seen as a reaction to patriarchy in different ways, 118 00:07:36.199 --> 00:07:40.480 i e. To deviate away from patriarchy, to conform to patriarchy, 119 00:07:40.839 --> 00:07:45.079 or to challenge and rebel against patriarchy. For example, Seizeick 120 00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:49.040 and Pollux studied pro anna, which means pro anorexia, deviant 121 00:07:49.079 --> 00:07:52.839 online subcultures and show that some young females are deviating 122 00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:56.959 against the patriarchal ideology of the ideal body image for women. 123 00:07:57.199 --> 00:08:01.120 These females, by participating and eating disorder, see this as 124 00:08:01.120 --> 00:08:03.519 a way to gain control over their own bodies and 125 00:08:03.600 --> 00:08:07.160 therefore not conform to the male dominated ideas of female 126 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:11.480 body image. Harding shows that in criminal subcultures like gangs, 127 00:08:11.839 --> 00:08:15.720 young females are still controlled by a patriarchal hierarchy and 128 00:08:15.800 --> 00:08:21.000 play secondary roles. These roles include hiding weapons, carrying drugs, 129 00:08:21.000 --> 00:08:24.079 and providing a sexual role for the males. This shows 130 00:08:24.079 --> 00:08:27.879 that females, even if they do join deviant and criminal subcultures, 131 00:08:28.079 --> 00:08:32.279 are still controlled by the patriarchal hierarchy within them. Harding 132 00:08:32.360 --> 00:08:37.600 calls these roles fixers. Other studies also show how patriarchy 133 00:08:37.840 --> 00:08:41.399 can hinder females from joining both deviant and criminal subcultures. 134 00:08:41.960 --> 00:08:45.799 Heidensen shows how patriarchy controls females in both the public 135 00:08:45.840 --> 00:08:49.279 sphere and the private sphere, the public being work, media 136 00:08:49.320 --> 00:08:55.240 and education, and private being family, socialization, conjugal roles, domestic violence, etc. 137 00:08:55.960 --> 00:08:58.720 This shows that females have less opportunities to be involved 138 00:08:58.720 --> 00:09:01.720 in criminal or deviant subs, and this view is also 139 00:09:01.759 --> 00:09:05.559 supported by McRobbie and Garber's idea of bedroom culture that 140 00:09:05.600 --> 00:09:08.240 women are much more likely to be inside and protected, 141 00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:12.559 whereas males are outside taking risks. However, Adlers shows that 142 00:09:12.600 --> 00:09:16.200 female subcultures can be seen as a rebellion against patriarchy. 143 00:09:16.679 --> 00:09:20.399 In her idea of liberation thesis, she argues that females 144 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:23.320 should be more deviant and criminal in order to challenge 145 00:09:23.360 --> 00:09:27.440 and eradicate patriarchy. Examples of this include the band Pussy 146 00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:31.799 Riot and also the me Too campaigns. Likewise, Jackson shows 147 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:35.919 that females rebel against patriarchal school system by creating deviant 148 00:09:35.919 --> 00:09:40.279 anti school subcultures, and Jackson refers to this as laddette culture. 149 00:09:40.879 --> 00:09:43.799 The increase in female crime rates suggest that women, now 150 00:09:43.879 --> 00:09:46.919 as they get more freedom and break away from patriarchy, 151 00:09:47.240 --> 00:09:50.360 do start to increase criminal and deviant behavior in the 152 00:09:50.440 --> 00:09:52.960 same way that men do, and so they are rebelling 153 00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:57.320 against the patriarchy. For males, deviant and criminal use subcultures 154 00:09:57.320 --> 00:10:00.320 can also be seen to deviate or to con form 155 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:05.279 to patriarchy. For example, Mesischments shows how patriarchy influences male 156 00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:10.399 criminal activity, as young males express their hegemonic masculinity via 157 00:10:10.519 --> 00:10:13.840 criminal activities like drug dealing in order to provide money, 158 00:10:13.879 --> 00:10:17.639 the bread winning role, violence as the protector, sexism, and 159 00:10:17.679 --> 00:10:21.240 misogyny in order to show dominance. But Hamfler shows that 160 00:10:21.279 --> 00:10:25.080 some males don't conform to hegemonic masculinity and wider society, 161 00:10:25.080 --> 00:10:29.879 but instead practice what he calls nerd masculinity via online subcultures. 162 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:32.799 This is evident in gaming, where males can compete and 163 00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:36.639 earn status amongst others. Some sociologists, like Hamflurs, see this 164 00:10:36.720 --> 00:10:40.200 as a reaction to the dominant values of hegemonic masculinity, 165 00:10:40.480 --> 00:10:44.360 and therefore these males are deviating away from the norms 166 00:10:44.360 --> 00:10:48.879 of a patriarchal society. However, other sociologists like Sarkeesium point 167 00:10:48.879 --> 00:10:53.000 out that these nerd masculinities are still glamorizing criminal ideas 168 00:10:53.039 --> 00:10:56.600 of sexism, misogyny, and violence, which is reflective of both 169 00:10:56.600 --> 00:11:02.879 hegemonic masculinity and patriarchy. Finally, deviant and criminal subcultures could 170 00:11:02.919 --> 00:11:06.120 also be seen as a link to socialization and dependency. 171 00:11:06.759 --> 00:11:10.519 The New Right point to socialization and dependency as reasons 172 00:11:10.559 --> 00:11:14.120 for the origins of development of devian and criminal youth subcultures. 173 00:11:15.080 --> 00:11:18.759 Charles Murray suggests that the underclass, that's those people that 174 00:11:18.799 --> 00:11:23.080 are long term unemployed and welfare dependent, subscribe to devian 175 00:11:23.159 --> 00:11:26.480 and criminal value systems and transmit these values to their 176 00:11:26.559 --> 00:11:31.159 children via primary socialization. Murray and others also point to 177 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:34.200 the rise of single mothers and absent fathers as a 178 00:11:34.240 --> 00:11:38.039 major factor in the development of the underclass. The argument 179 00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:40.480 is that a lack of male role models in female 180 00:11:40.519 --> 00:11:43.679 headed single parent families leads to a lack of discipline 181 00:11:43.679 --> 00:11:46.879 and control of younger males in particular growing up in 182 00:11:46.919 --> 00:11:50.440 these underclass families. Tony Sewell points to the role of 183 00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:53.559 media and socializing these young males into a type of 184 00:11:53.879 --> 00:11:58.960 hypermasculinity which glamorizes the activities of rebellion via drug dealing 185 00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:02.399 to air money, gang violence to sustain status, and sexism 186 00:12:02.399 --> 00:12:06.799 and misogyny to control females. Both of these studies show 187 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:10.759 how poor socialization from single mothers in underclass families are 188 00:12:10.799 --> 00:12:13.759 a key reason for the rise in deviant and criminal 189 00:12:13.759 --> 00:12:19.159 youth subcultures and wider society. Marslan further reinforces Murray's ideas 190 00:12:19.440 --> 00:12:23.080 and he blames a dependency culture for the continuation of 191 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:26.440 the underclass and therefore the development of devian and criminal 192 00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:30.480 youth subcultures. Marslan believes that the welfare state is over 193 00:12:30.600 --> 00:12:33.279 generous and it makes it too easy to live off 194 00:12:33.320 --> 00:12:37.279 the state, which in turn encourages an underclass culture of 195 00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:43.120 immediate gratification, anti work, and anti authority values and norms. Therefore, 196 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:46.039 he calls this a Nani state in which there is 197 00:12:46.080 --> 00:12:49.279 an encouragement for a culture of dependency, which in turn 198 00:12:49.399 --> 00:12:53.759 needs to arise in deviant and criminal youth subcultures. There are, 199 00:12:53.799 --> 00:12:57.519 of course, many criticisms of the subcultural theory. In particular, 200 00:12:57.840 --> 00:13:01.600 it does lack a focus of individuals driven crime. Many 201 00:13:01.639 --> 00:13:04.919 crimes are carried out by individuals, and the right realist 202 00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:09.200 Clark talks about rational choice theory, whereby individuals choose to 203 00:13:09.279 --> 00:13:13.799 adopt and take on different criminal activities by themselves. Therefore, 204 00:13:14.000 --> 00:13:17.919 in counterargument to subcultures, you should always compare to those 205 00:13:17.960 --> 00:13:21.960 crimes that have a lot more individualistic driven tendencies rather 206 00:13:21.960 --> 00:13:25.279 than those of group crimes. Thank you very much for listening. 207 00:13:25.360 --> 00:13:27.559 If you've not yet listened to episodes one to five, 208 00:13:27.679 --> 00:13:30.639 please do go back and listen now. Thank you.