Criminality’s Glorification and the Consequences Involved

When something is compelling, it makes people want to tell someone about it. Telling equals  significance.  Look at it another way. Plain and simple, telling is telling: talking about criminality brings attention to the criminals and their crimes. Law enforcement agents rightfully talk to one another about criminal activity.  Community members that want to solve the crimes that affect their quality of life speak with law enforcement officers about crime. The problem is the indirect glorification of criminality.  In the last two decades, a new industry has been created that promotes inner-city criminals in the same way that celebrities are profiled.     

U.S. inner-cities changed drastically in the last 50 years, due to the enormous influx of illegal narcotics and  weapons into inner-city communities.  As a result, drug sub-cultures of the 1970s thru the 1990s completely distorted people’s perception of street culture and ‘the street game.’  Law-abiding adult males were no longer the predominant leaders of their communities. Beginning the 1980s, a new wave of youth with access to seemingly unlimited amounts of cash and narcotics were able to command unguided levels of influence over whole cities. 

Newsweek magazine published an article titled, Aurora Massacre Victim’s Parents Want Media to Stop Naming Shooters, by Max Kutner. The article was published On October 13, 2015. In the article, Max Kutner reported that, ” In July, researchers with Arizona State University published findings that said 30 percent of mass killings had been inspired by previous mass killings, and 22 percent of school shootings had been inspired by previous school shootings.”  The main issue emphasized by participants in the Newsweek article was  to limit the amount of exposure mass shooters receive. This growing trend will extend to other criminals, because it is common sense.    

The 1996 documentary titled, VH1’s Legends: Curtis Mayfield, made a very important point. In an interview, Mayfield described seeing the 1972 rough draft of the movie Superfly, as he was composing its score and soundtrack, stating how, “It was like a cocaine commercial. It was important to me to go in depth and sort of … counter some of the visuals and at least explain it in such ways … talk about it in such ways that people could not read it as a commercial or infomercial.”  Early in life, everyone is taught that criminal actions are morally wrong and may lead to prison time.  

Is the media indirectly promising a post-criminal career to criminals, by featuring them in magazines, film, and  on television? Criminals are not supposed to be extensively featured in the media. Period. The old-school saying stated that, “The game is to be sold, not told.” That means that one is supposed to live and remain silent.  Criminals are not supposed to  demonstrate or explain the workings of the criminal underworld to the general public. On the other hand, it is beneficial to law enforcement to expose crime, but those that tell are not supposed to be featured in the media like they are celebrities. They should be presented in the context of shame.