Book Summary: Social Problems By Joel Best

Chapter six of Social Problems by Joel Best was about public reactions. The chapter explains how to measure public opinions in things like polling (166-167). Best then goes on to talk about what affects public opinion (170). Best continues to tell us what public opinion impacts (172). Lastly, Best talks about how public opinion plays a role in the social problems process (191).

Moses Kaufman is the producer of the successful play “The Laramie Project” after a horrific incident that occurred in Laramie. Members of the artistic group of Kaufman 's, traveled to Laramie to find out more about the horrific incidence. The main aim of the whole project was to find the emotions, reactions, and reflections that the people of Laramie manifested concerning the beating and subsequent death of a twenty-three-year-old college student (Gale, 2016). A lot of questions were raised concerning the death as people had different point of views. Some thought it was a hate crime, others thought it was just a brutal assault or a form of robbery. Four hundred interviews were conducted so as to come up with the reasons behind the brutal murder straight from the town folks. The main issue was how homosexuality was defined in the crime. The Laramie Project, questioned the rights of the LGBT+ group. For example, why were Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgenders discriminated by the community and the society as a whole even though their rights were constitutional?

I have recently watched the movie called “The Laramie Project.” The Laramie project is about a young gay student named Matthew Sheppard, who was murdered in Laramie, Wyoming by two boys from the town named, Aaron McKinley and Russell Henderson. The evidence and testimonies from the case suggested that Matthew was attacked, because of his sexuality as a gay man. Matthew was beaten, tied to a fence and left dead in Laramie, Wyoming in 1988. This movie captures the reaction of the murder and draws on hundreds of interviews conducted by the theatre company with the inhabitants of the town, company members, own journal entries, and published news reports. After watching this movie, I reflected on my own perspectives and thoughts about a few issues in the movie, such as hate crime, the phrase “Live and Let Live,” and “flaunting it.”

For decades, there have been several cases and stories about how the homosexual youth have been mistreated, and Matthew Shepard is one of the many cases. The causes of the oppression may be disturbing to some, but they are clear: discrimination and inequality. This issue is dividing our community into acceptance and refutation. Those who disagree about the gap often see it as a choice between being a heterosexual or a homosexual. Often times, the maltreatment may take place in school, at a workplace, or public. It has been shown that “still, some gay students suffer harassment of their sexual orientation, and many, particularly athletes, stay “in the closet” for fear of unfavorable treatment” (“Gays on

We get a glimpse of the hatred and unacceptance this community has towards gays. The Laramie Project is used to boost the emotional impact of the events. People tend to live in an “all about me world” where in a case they become the victim and start to ask why but when it’s somebody else they be the one who’s being the victimizer. The violence committed against Matthew Shepard is reflected by many as a hate crime because of someone’s own belief being transpired to someone else’s life. The evidence and witnesses from the case all suggest that Mathew was condemned because of his

The death of Matt Shepard produced a profound impact on the community of Laramie and the entire state. This tragedy provoked numerous discussions and drew the attention of the public to the position of gay and lesbian community at large and individual representatives of the homosexual community in particular. At the same time, the general public was basically concerned on the death of Matt Shepard rather than on the problem of the homosexual community of Laramie. In such a situation, Beth Loffreda attempted to draw the attention of the public to this problem at large. In her book “Losing Matt Shepard”, she does not focus entirely on the death of Matt Shepard and its circumstances, but she rather to lay emphasis on the problem which remained practically unnoticed by mass media and the general public, the problem of hate and intolerance in regard to homosexuals and their position in the local community.

The room fell silent as the story of Mathew Shepard was told in the OU Meacham Auditorium. Throughout The Laramie Project I could hear the gasps and tears of my fellow students. This was not the first time I watched The Laramie Project, but the film still had a profound effect on me. The interviews with Laramie citizens seemed to describe different perceptions of hate crimes committed against the LGBT across the globe; not just in Laramie, Wyoming.

Imagine feeling unsafe wherever you go, fearing that you’re going to be the next victim of a hate crime. Being terrified that your family is going to get a call saying that your body was found lifeless, bloody, and nearly unidentifiable on the side of the road. Gay and trans youth are constantly fearing that they are going to be killed, beaten, , kicked out, or unaccepted for something they cannot control. LGBT+ people are twice as likely to be victims of hate crimes than any other minority. Despite these statistics, the media hardly covers their deaths or beatings. Justice should not be taken away from an individual due to their sexual orientation, preference, or gender because we are all equal, regardless of circumstances.

The United States exhibits a spectrum of acceptance towards sexual and gender orientations. This diversity of acceptance profoundly impacts individuals, such as children, navigating their identities and experiences. Burns, a City Councilman from Ft. Worth, urges awareness of the consequences of harassment faced by LGBTQ youth. His personal narrative highlights the impact of discrimination and the need for empathy and acceptance.

Hate crime is a motivated violent act by a group or individual perpetrator towards a specific race, colour or religion (Collins, Pg 93,192). For many years, authority figures and the media have ignored hate crime offences towards individuals who identify under the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) umbrella. Up until the 20th century and prior to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, LGBTQ persons have been victimized in violent crimes based solely on gender identification and orientation. With a myriad of events, cases and unreported individual incidents the burden of proof towards hate crime on LQBTQ increased. The development of North American law towards LGBTQ citizens has improved throughout the last two decades. However, there

Along with verbal abuse, LGBTQ youth also experience physical violence in schools across the country everyday. Back in the 1980’s and 1990’s sociologists such as Joyce Hunter thought that much of the physical abuse happening towards the LGBTQ population stemmed from the stigma and fear that came from the AIDS epidemic that was spreading rapidly among the gay community in that time. In a study as recent as 2003, 60% of LGBTQ youth had reported being assaulted physically due to their sexual orientation (Chesir-Taran, 2003) These physical actions towards the gay and lesbian youth has caused many to fear going to school. In fact, many LGBTQ students avoid school in order to escape the physical harassment. This drop in attendance has detrimental effects on the student’s academics (American Educational Research Association).

Laramie, WY, is a modest town which became ignominious overnight in the fall of 1998, when Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, was found tied to a fence after being callously beaten and left to die, setting off a nationwide dispute about homophobia and hate crimes. My reaction to this moment in time initially is horror and shock that people did and do these unspeakable acts to their fellow human. However, I can also appreciate the many different views that were portrayed in the film.

Chapter seven of Social Problems by Joel Best was about how policies are made and the process of getting a policy noticed. The chapter explains what policy domains are (201). Best also explains Kingdon’s policy stream model (204-207). Best goes on to explain the pressures put on policymakers (211). Best ends the chapter talking about the rhetoric of policymaking (216).

Chapter five of Social Problems by Joel Best was about the media and how claims can use the media. The chapter explains how the media is ran and how it can impact claims. The most important components of the chapter is how the news has changed over time (139). The chapter then goes on to bring up how popular culture affects how media handles social claims (149). The chapter also brings ups how social media can play a part in claimsmaking (153). Lastly, the chapter brings up how the media impacts us (155).

This sad event shows but one example of a hate crime against a person of gay orientation. Matthew Shepard then goes on to become one reason to cause the HCPA, Hate Crimes Prevention Act, to be signed into law on October 28, 2009. These groups say that “the struggles of the peoples of the world are our fight as well; their victories are our victories and our victories are theirs. Our freedom will come only with their freedom” (“What We Want, What We Believe” 600). They are trying to abolish hate against all which is why they did not stop at creating a hate crimes prevention act against gays law, but a prevention to protect everyone. It is to prevent anyone having to suffer what the people of the LGBT community constantly face every day. To take these things lightly is one thing; however, to completely act as though they do not exist in plain sight is unlawful or even disgraceful.As a nation, everyone should band together, every race, every group, and every individual, to fight against this true act of treason.