CAD - Chap 4

Remember the key questions -- Why does US have such high rates of serious street crime compared to other countries?

+ Why are we so tolerant of corp crime?

Authors -- two factors:Values of Amer Dream &

Econ dom of instis

CAD - Chap 4

Value foundations

Cultural ideas - taken for granted, “natural”

Powerful social forces - but don't affect everybody the same way

CAD - Chap 4

1. Achievement "be all that you can be"

Achieve at any cost!

Note: Alternative is failure, “compromise”

CAD - Chap 4

2. Individualism

Others as competitorsWinning and personal worth

Example: our penchant for keeping score

CAD - Chap 4

3. Universalism

Everybody pressured to achieve

Examples: Kids (sports, music, etc.)Kindergarten as academic boot camp

Mothers - career and kids - “want it all...”

CAD - Chap 4

4. Fetishism of money

Money as an end in itself Measure of successMoney is infinite

CAD - Chap 4

Combined these constitute anomic culture

“Hyper-individualism”

Note: I would add a class analysis to this

Upper class we'll tolerate anything from them

Middle class keeping up with JonesesLower class we'll do anything to them

CAD - Chap 4

Economic dom of instis

Instis are clusters of ways of doing things to meet human social needs

** Replace instincts

CAD - Chap 4

Main instis:

Econ -- Adapt to material environFamily -- reproduction of next

generationPolity -- group decision makingEducation -- socialization of next

generationOthers - Religion, Military, Science, etc.

CAD - Chap 4

Instis are discrete but interdependent

Separate "duties" but must work together

(Think about an "ideal individual” - contrib to economy, to family, to polity, & to educ/socialization, etc.)

CAD - Chap 4

US emerged as modern capitalist society

after market society well-developed in Europe -- market took hold here

without restraints of centuries of traditions

that tend to balance institutions.

CAD - Chap 4

According to the authors,Three areas of econ dom of instis:

1. Devaluation of non-econ

In educ, family, politics

CAD - Chap 4

2. Accomodation to "market model"

Instis reorganized to serve market

“………" should be run like a business

CAD - Chap 4

3. Penetration by economic norms

Across the board cultural shift

The "contract model“

interpersonal relations

CAD - Chap 4

Devaluation, penetration, accomodationweaken social control by instisThis is “institutional anomie”

Page 79 "in the US, anomie is considered a

virtue"

We want to be free from instis --interfere with our pursuit of success!

CAD - Chap 4

So,

hyper-individualism (cultural values)

++ weakened social control

= a society/culture organized for crime

CAD - Chap 4

End of chapter -- 2 examples

gender & race