What do you think when I say bikie? Do you think of a criminal? A man whose sole purpose in life is to make and sell drugs? Someone who will fight anyone who looks at them? What if I told you that only 0.36 per cent of all criminal activity in Queensland is committed by bikies? As Terry Goldsworthy, an assistant professor of criminology at Bond University, stated in his article on the implementation of anti-biker laws; approximately 60% of all outlaw motorcycle gang members have no criminal history. Doesn’t sound right does it? That’s because the media has conditioned the Australian public to see bike gangs as criminals and not the people they really are. Many examples of this can be seen in media forms such as newspaper and TV programs …show more content…
Newspaper articles, including those shown here, are targeted towards bikie clubs and will only show them in a negative light. This example of The Sunday Mail front page bears the headline, “Jail ‘Em All,” with the caption “Newman’s vow to Destroy Bikies.” Clearly the writers for The Sunday Mail have a profound view on bikies as a whole and are willing to spread this bias onto their readers. By using the title “Jail ‘Em All,” the paper aims to portray that all bikies are criminals and all should be jailed, which is obviously inaccurate. Another article shown here featured on the front cover of Herald Sun, “Bikies Go To War.” This is obviously against the motorcycle clubs mentioned and aims to scare the public into associating all bikies as being violent, gun-wielding members of society, which is simply not true. This table shows that in less than two months, The Courier/Sunday Mail released 15 articles relating to bikies. Most of these articles focus on the police crackdown on bikie gangs after the introduction of the VLAD legislation, but contained very little new information. Newspapers are not the only ones responsible for giving bikers a bad name, TV programs also show the groups in an incredibly bad
In Australia there has been a historic link between OMCG and crime and violence, it is this association that has led to the current VLAD law in Queensland and other states considering harsher laws as well. Bikie gangs are targeted for drugs, the selling of stolen cars, firearms marketing, terrorization and violence, and with Australia has over 6000 and growing members belonging to around 45 outlaw gangs, ranging across Darwin to Tasmania it is hard for the police to maintain order (News, 2013). A day
The United States is one of the only few democratic countries that disenfranchises convicted felons. An estimated 5.85 million people charged with a felony are banned from voting. Moreover, felon disenfranchisement laws are a form of racial discrimination because a large percentage of felons are Hispanic, Latino or African American that have been incarcerated as a result of racial profiling. Denying felons from voting is unconstitutional since the right to vote and cast a ballot is supposed to be the cornerstone of democracy. Felons who have completed their sentence should be restored their right to vote as they should be able to participate in elections just like every other citizen. Despite being charged with a felony, felons are also American
Weatherburn, D., and Indermaur, D. (2004) ‘Public perceptions of crime trends in New South Wales and Western Australia’, Contemporary Issues in Crime and Justice, 80: 1-8
Each year numerous lives are lost due to careless and irrational driving. The disregard for safe driving has been a predicament to Queensland for years. For many years? police have relied heavily on speed cameras, breathe testing and heavy fines as a deterrent against unlawful drivers. Over the years fatality rates have increased, so Queensland Transport has composed a series of safe driving campaigns. On many occasions the transport department informs and advises the public about the importance of responsible driving. They propagate safe driving through the various channels of the media. Their safe driving campaign is now using effective propaganda aimed directly at speeding; drink driving and tired and reckless driving
As one of the major social problem, underage drinking can cause negative affect on both teenagers themselves and the whole society. Based on the research, approximately 190,000 youth under 21 visited emergency room for alcohol related hurts, even I accompanied one of my friends to ICU for alcohol poisoning nearly month ago. Annually about 5000 individuals under 21 die from it, not including other mature people directly or indirectly killed by them. Meanwhile, child’s brain and emotional developments are still in process until 20s so that taking alcohol will produce great damage on their body health. For example, alcohol can interfere with children’s capacity to build new, short, and lasting memories of information because it shrinks hippocampus about 10
When you were little, you were always told to defend yourself if someone was coming at you. But is it self-defense if you weren’t being attacked? Johnny Cade was beat up pretty bad by a Soc, someone who is very privileged, with many rings. Later, we find out this is Bob. One night, as Ponyboy and Johnny were by themselves, five Socs, three of them Randy, Bob, and David, came up to them mad because they were walking with their girlfriends. Johnny told them to stay back, but they didn’t. Bob told David to give Ponyboy a “bath” after Ponyboy spat at them. David then grabbed him and ducked his head in the water. Johnny killed Bob to save Ponyboy. Some may say Johnny killed Bob in self-defense, but Johnny was not the one being attacked, Ponyboy was. Also, Bob wasn’t doing anything to Ponyboy, David was. So, how can you kill someone when they were doing nothing?
According to biblical texts, in the beginning, God created the first man, Adam and made him a woman, Eve. He gave Adam a woman, not a man, so that the human race can maintain a man/woman relationship. For thousands of years homosexuality has been misconduct or in the church’s case, sin. We are continuously beset with this controversial topic and have since reached a point where homosexuality is more open and more accepted than ever. Now, gay men and women fight for the right to be legally married in the United States. In Christianity, marriage is a lifelong commitment under God and many Christians believe this is a “major sin.” However, no matter the relation of man and woman or man and man, Homosexuals should be allowed to have a lifelong
Everyone in their lifetime have been ignorant to other race at least once in their lifetime. This comes from the stereotypes of each race. Such as “ all black people eat watermelon and love fried chicken” or “ all Latinos are immigrants and work for little pay”. Without having experience with other race, individuals tend to stick to with what they know and confront people with knowledge based off of stereotypes. Stereotypes were meant to categorize others and [put down] various racial identities. I believe they we 're made to make it [easier] for individuals to have categorizes. Your brain tend to group things so you no longer need to consider information about each individual member of the group.The term “acting white” has been around for
... groups such as the ‘mods’ and the ‘rockers’ the media persuaded the audience to think that these groups where criminals and not good role models to other kids without this actually being a fact. Again we need to be aware of how the media reports crime events.
James Howe in his book Addie On the Inside said “Another Thing I 'm Sick of Hearing: If I started that gay rights group, I must be gay. So if i start an animal rights group, what does that make me? A giraffe?” The non-supporters of the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual and Queer) community often think that if you support LGBTQ rights you’re gay yourself. This is wrong, LGBTQ rights can be supported by anyone, and their rights are an acute issue in society. There are thousands of LGBTQ couples who still cannot get married in certain states. There are many LGBTQ couples that would like to adopt children and enjoy their lives, but instead they’re being shunned for being who they are. So with this I think that LGBTQ couples should
Underaged drinking has become an epidemic within the United States. Starting to consume alcohol at a young age damages the brains developmental process and also leaves behind long term drinking problems for that individual. According to the case file between Heisenberg vs. the State of Missouri, the national average underaged drinking begins at fifteen years of age. Curiosity allows students under the age of twenty-one to want to experiment with toxins like alcohol. These dangerous decision then create the unsafe action to drink and drive. The government should create laws that not only reinforce the existing laws but also alter them, so than young adults are restricted. The legal drinking age of twenty-one should be increased to twenty-five because underaged drinking causes a delay in brain development, it would decrease a young adults curiosity to perform dangerous behaviors and it is also the main cause for car crashes.
Such a simple but revealing quote captures the essence of a new form of racism that has evolved in America. Appalling cases of overt racism still manifest themselves, but the racism of today has become considerably more subtle than in the past. This subtlety is likely the cause of America’s disillusioned attitude towards racism. As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “The absence of brutality and unregenerate evil is not the presence of justice.” Many have falsely assumed that with the eradication of explicit segregation laws, the problems of race and more importantly racism had been solved. The racism of today might not be as embedded within the law, but the racism of today quietly, yet undeniably, benefits and privileges certain groups over others. I would challenge society to reconsider its definition of racism, and use that new understanding to help make for a better tomorrow. The first step is for society to concede that America has produced a systemized hierarchy, one that has become known as white privilege.
Driving under the influence is one of the most common and dangerous situations in which anyone can be or be placed. Drinking and driving is a serious offence that can cause someone to be physically harm or even killed. Not only are you putting yourself at risk but you are also risking the lives of passengers in the car as well as any other car and occupants sharing the road with you. Many people believe that increasing fines for drunk driving offenders will play a compelling role in cutting down the occurrences of driving under the influence. However, while harsher DUI laws will look effective on paper, they will not make a significant step in the fight against drunk driving. Although there is a law enforced for drinking and driving in the
For many years, drunk driving casualties have been viewed differently. Many believe that drunk driving laws are strict while others believe that it is too lenient. In this generations, where alcohol is cheap and very accessible many tends to abuse it. This people who abuse alcohol is known as drunk drivers because after taking three or four drinks they still believe that they are not drunk and goes back to the wheel of their vehicle without thinking of what will happen next. This drunk drivers are willing to risk their lives and the lives of others because they are ashamed or too big to call a family member or a designated drivers to take them home. If they are lucky and did not die on their way home. Then they create this dangerous cycle of
Transgender individuals shouldn’t be subjected to abuse, slander and danger when using a public restroom in any of the Unites States. Yet the U.S. recently made the bold move to make it culturally acceptable to discriminate against transgender individuals and the LGBT community when passing the HB2 Bill in North Carolina by the General Assembly. With the world adjusting to the multiple terms now associated with the gender identity that spans in variations of asexual to queer, the U.S. has regressed by taking action to remove the Civil Rights of its citizens that identify within these terms. This bill does much more than just reverse civil rights and weaken discrimination regulation. The argument that a non-transgender person feels uncomfortable with a transgender person using the same bathroom is the same argument that once made people of color using public bathrooms and water fountains to be segregated. It’s a lack of understanding at best, and results