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Sociological Analysis of 13th

   

Added on  2020-05-04

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Sociological Analysis of the film -13thThe world of films and entertainment plays a significant role in highlighting importantsocial aspects and generates public awareness. This is even true for documentaries whichattempt to highlight the depth of any social issue through a series of visuals and clippings orthrough an anecdote. The film, ‘13th’ directed by Ava DuVernay is a nonfiction work, whichtakes the audience through several agitating moments right from the time of slavery to theaftermath of the 13th Amendment which attempted to abolish slavery in 1865 ‘except as apunishment for crime’. The documentary therefore presents the argument that theamendment gave rise to a new form of slavery through the prison systems. While officiallythe South enjoyed free labor, loopholes in the law itself created motives to arrest the blacksfor minor charges and subject them to local jobs which in turn incentivized keeping prisonsfull.The documentary, when supported by appropriate sociological theories, proves thathistory repeats itself. Mill’s theory of sociological imagination refers to the way an individualcan perceive their own experience and assess their destiny by placing themselves within theirspan of history with respect to others sharing similar circumstances (Mills, 2000). Lifestyletheory of victimology argues that the behaviors, social networks and living conditions of anindividual can put the person at risk of victimization (Sobel and Rossi, 2013). This theory islimited by the interrelated concept of victim precipitation where the victim itself seems to becommitting the crime. The documentary 13th basically portrays the set of such victims whoare imprisoned for minor charges and has some common economic and racial backgrounds.They are mostly blacks with poor economic conditions. Therefore, via sociologicalimagination any individual belonging to the racial minority with poor living conditions mightbe under fear of being arrested for minor crimes, which a white person might not be accused
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for. So, the minority community is at greater risk of victimization in terms of being subject toa different kind of slavery in prisons, a form with similar economic motive as plantationslavery. The movie uses text displays very effectively. One significant text is that the US hasonly 5% of world’s population and 25% of the world’s prisoners. They are locked up in the‘land of free’.Should we talk of victimization of criminals or criminalization of the victims?Conflict and radical theories of crime offer an appropriate explanation for the depiction of therole of American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) supported by corporations whomade big profits from prisons. The conflict theory suggests that social orders areconsequences of power struggles and legal systems are framed usually by those in power, forpreserving their positions through social control of the less powerful. Radical theories wouldrather focus on the economic class in formulation and implementation of the law (Bohm andVogel, 2010). In order to maintain a status quo, the legal system tries to prove such acts aslegally positive for all. However, as explained by radical theories, the legal system controlledby powerful people would actually protect the interest of preserving their assets. The filmdepicts demonization of the minority section of the society which leads to brutality of thepolice force against them; the movie ends with a graphic representation of recent videoclippings depicting police shootings of blacks.In conclusion one may say that the documentary tries to link the mundane history ofslavery with the present economic system of the prisons. It tries to show that slavery has notactually been abolished but has taken a different form in the shape of criminalization. The13th amendment has changed the concept and form of slavery while the purpose remains thesame. On one hand the sociological imagination theory and lifestyle theory shows howpeople with common lifestyle share similar fate and how they can link their future with theirpast experiences. The second two theories (conflict and radical theories) portray the interplay
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