...organized crime. Theories have been developed as to why there is organized crime. This paper will take a look at some of these theories and how they apply to organized crime and criminal behavior. Social Institution Social institution is a group of individuals joining or working together to obtain a common goal. These social organizations could be churches, schools, factories, and non-profit organizations. Organized crime can be looked at as a social organization due to the fact that in many instances the group uses members of the community to sell their product, furnish needed services, and be the consumer. An example of an organized crime organization that could be considered a social institution is gangs, prostitution rings, and drug rings. A social institution does not have to be a legitimate organization. Alien Conspiracy Theory One of the most common theories is the alien conspiracy theory. This theory explains the presence of organized crime is in the United States because it was brought here by immigrants (Lyman, 2007). The Sicilian and Russians are the two favorite. By placing the blame on outsiders or the influence of outsiders, people can make themselves believe that it is not their fault and organized crime would not be here if these foreigners were not here. The immigrants brought their criminal culture and behavior with them when they came to the United States (Mallory, 2007). Rational Choice Theory The rational choice theory believes that...
Words: 831 - Pages: 4
...only about 50% of citizens receive vaccines for their children. Evidently this is the lowest level in Australia and is compared to South Sudan (McCutcheon, 2015).There are various researches that have come up to explain how conspiracy, paranormal, and spirituality are related to anti-vaccination, but it is clear that none of them was bold enough to explain why. For instance, in line with conspiracy theory, Kata (2010) states of how 75% of the websites she researched on made claims of cover up, where regulatory bodies had information about vaccines they were from the public. Orac (2014) states of how conspiracy in the Muslim world made people into believing polio vaccines were evil plans by the Western nations to sterilize Muslim youth and reduce them in number. In the same sense, 50% of websites stated of how the government purportedly protects vaccine manufacturers and doctors from possible harms caused by vaccines (Tuteur, 2011). Other researchers have tried to elaborate on how spirituality and paranormal is in essence in line with anti-vaccination campaigns by creating perceptions of reality and empowerment unlike conspiracy (Daum&Weibe 2010). Despite a wealth of research on the way anti-vaccination is predicted by paranormal, spiritualism and conspiracy, none has been bold...
Words: 2920 - Pages: 12
...confusing, a conspiracy that dates back thousands of years and has no clear answer. The Illuminati, a mysterious secretive society with plans to conquer the world and rule with force, has fascinated conspiracy theorists since before modern times. Though the idea has been around for thousands of years, plaguing the minds of the easily convinced and threatening world domination, the question remains: is the Illuminati really a group of tight-lipped masterminds, secretive enough to hide their identities and existence? Or is this yet another easily arguable conspiracy theory created to shock the masses and instill hysteria in the general public? Before we can delve into that question, it is important to first attempt to understand the facts (or lack thereof) surrounding this “society”, by exploring the origin of the Illuminati, its members, and the “evidence” (or lack thereof) that proves its existence. As interesting or compelling as one set of facts may be, there are hundreds of other websites, documentaries, and books claiming to have found truth in another, entirely different, set of facts. For the sake of argument, several of the most prominent theories will be brought up and investigated. These sets of facts occasionally conflict with one another even on the most basic of topics. As is clearly visible when simply discussing the origin of the society, many different people hold onto very different ideas. Perhaps one of the most entertaining theories explaining the...
Words: 2585 - Pages: 11
...doctors and other medical professionals. Other parents seem to look at homeopathy, nature and metaphysical tendencies to resolve their medical dilemma as regards to the vaccine.[Huntley and Peeters, 2010; Battles, 2008]. It is at this point that Lewandowski et al. [2013] and his believed that with an increase in knowledge the worldview polarization of science also doubled. Apparently, these issues are evident to point out to the fact that anti-vaccine attitudes are predicted by them. But there is very limited research in place, to depict the underlying factor beneath these forms of psychosocial behaviors against vaccines. The notion of worldview approach to anti-vaccine over vaccines is a current one and stems from paranormal, spiritual, and conspiracy beliefs over the vaccines. These non-evidence ways of life seem to reach out to the attitudes parents depict over vaccines for such a long time.[Jolley and Douglas, 2014; Goertzel, 1994] There those, who see that vaccines are unsafe, impure according to God’s purpose of creation [O’shea, 2001] and even with governments like the Australian taking the Slovakian approach [Kasarda ,2013; Behrmann2010 ],...
Words: 6697 - Pages: 27
...“Theory” is based on the idea used to a justify a course of action.With in the article by Jesse Walker “A theory about conspiracy theory” and Seitz Wald’s article “ Why people believe in conspiracy theories”. They have proved many similarities and differences. Political paranoia is everywhere, but having also accusations tell us about the people who believe in them. The conspiracy theory in Jesse Walkers perspective is that, “ Some conspiracies are real, of course, but even a conspiracy theory that is entirely false has truths to tell us about the anxieties and experiences of the people who believe it…it tells us ways people view the world” .The meaning of this quotation is that people are allowed to believe in conspiracy theories in order to shape the way they live and their emotions of the society. On the other hand Seitz- Wald’s theory states that their are “ Psychological forces like motivated reasoning have long been associated with...
Words: 535 - Pages: 3
...Communication and Crisis Paper Tara Littleton HCS/320 1/18/16 Ann Maleta Communication and Crisis Paper Official reports indicate that the public water supplies in several different towns in the area are contaminated with a biological agent that is life threatening. Being the director of the Emergency Management Office, there has to be a contingency plan put into place within the office’s organization and with the public without creating a widespread panic. Knowing the situations in the past, the issues have to be dealt with immediately. Doing research and using the information from the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor malfunction in 1979, will help to know how to respond to this disaster. Even though there were no deaths or injuries from this particular incident, it drew a lot of media attention and created great concern within the local area and surrounding areas. The major forms of communication used in this situation were three major television networks and the local radio stations. Also, there was another situation in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina went through New Orleans and left it devastated. Many of the local citizens and their families were affected and most of them...
Words: 1488 - Pages: 6
...The incident at Roswell has sparked conspiracies and distrust towards the government and intrigue in the population. Debates have spawned from the Roswell incident as to whether or not aliens exist, with either side giving information that they find proves if aliens are real. The problem that steams from this though, is the circular reasoning of no evidence does not necessarily disprove or prove anything. Summed up as the idea that the evidence does not disprove the theory, but it also does not prove it. Throughout the chapter, Goldberg describes the results of Roswell, from the responses from the government and the community. The government would avoid the questions posed by those who are interested and claim that the incident was not a case of extraterrestrial interference. People claimed to be silenced by threats or appeals to nationalism. The overall result from the incident at Roswell, New Mexico was distrust and the idea that the truth was somewhere out there....
Words: 1042 - Pages: 5
...The X-Files is one of the brilliant examples of television series, originated as a cult show and dawned into the renowned show among a wider range of audiences, including the academia. For nine seasons, the show ran for about ten years. After becoming so popular, The X-Files developed two films for dedicated fans across the world. One may wonder what is it that makes a long running show consistently interesting to the general audience, fans, scholars, and even critics. A possibility is the usage of metaphor and genre in order to explore wider themes that are not immediately apparent to the viewer regarding subject matter. To put it simply, The X-Files goes beyond the limitations of horror and sci-fi. The creation of The X-Files emerged when a new and upcoming company called Fox joined network competitors such as NBC, ABC, and CBS. Fox, as a forerunner in showing television where viewers could not find anywhere comparable, embraced the unusual and controversial series based on the paranormal and bizarre phenomena. The show follows two FBI agents who investigate the paranormal from two different viewpoints, a believer and the other a skeptic. The X-Files on the Fox network was beginning nightly hour-long shows directed towards the teen to middle-aged viewers. In order to become popular for such a broad range of viewers, the series needed to attract these masses using a language they understood and meeting their expectations, such as desired genres. The mixture of the target viewer’s...
Words: 2787 - Pages: 12
...The ideology of conspiracy theory particularly peak oil is intellectually binding and fatalistic. It requires belief in a natural truth where in reality there is no such thing as an absolute truth. Yet, the documentary Crude Awakenings posits its premise and framework under the assumption that existence is co-opted by masters and overseers that desire to manipulate and exploit the masses. However, there is no inkling of critical thought or analysis on the basis of what peak oil is and how it actually impacts the world. The rhetoric utilized throughout the film is conjecture that is assumed as fact without any given depth to arguments presented by the “experts.” As such, the movie starts out with two contradictory quotes. One states that oil...
Words: 606 - Pages: 3
...The political science literature of conspiracy theories remains decades old and robust. Beginning with Hofstadter (1964), researchers began to investigate the “paranoid style” of American politics while in the midst of the Cold War and McCarthyism. Although these early investigations helped to build a solid foundation of literature on conspiracism, the focus of this review remains to highlight and synthesize the most recent literature, which will in turn help to address the complex question of this paper. Recent surveys indicate that half of the American population endorses at least one conspiracy theory (Oliver & Wood, 2014). For instance, as of 2015, 36% of American respondents believed that the United States government had either assisted...
Words: 402 - Pages: 2
...After reading Fish’s essay, I arrived at the conclusion that a conspiracy theorist is an individual who seeks out the truth behind an event. A conspiracy theorist may also be an individual who researches alternative explanations for situations that may not be widely accepted. I think anyone can fit into this category because anyone can do thorough research to uncover the truth behind a certain event and draw conclusions about who or what caused that event. There can be a range of definitions for the term, “conspiracy theorist.” Most of these definitions include some sort of covert or secret planning by either an organization or the government of a country. The term has more negative connotations than positive connotations because most people...
Words: 277 - Pages: 2
...The offices that are being referred to are government offices such as Welfare, DMV, and Section 8. In contrast, patron-client facilities are offices or places that focus upon pleasing their clients because if they don’t, the patron will go to another facility to get their needs met. This brings us to the similarities and differences of the models of organized crime. According to Lyman (2007) there are three theories of organized crime that help in the understanding of criminal organizations. The first theory is the Alien Conspiracy theory, which blames outside influences and outsiders for the rise of organized crime in American society. Second, the Rational Choice theory is when a person weighs the pros and cons of living a certain lifestyle; in addition they also know what the consequences of their actions are as well. Finally, the deterrence theory is one that believes that putting large punishments and fear in place to make criminals think about the consequences before they commit a crime. There are also other theories such as the Learning theory, which is when an individual has the attitude, values, and morality of a criminal and uses these tools to have a criminal career. In addition, social disorganization links the...
Words: 429 - Pages: 2
...I define a conspiracy as any organized plan that is acted upon based upon assumptions of guilt with little or no proof to support accusations. Conspiracies are conniving and created out of a desire for personal gain. People fear what they cannot understand and create theories to explain why some people choose to live outside of the norm. Many of these theories are inaccurate and stem from paranoia. Today, our culture has become accustomed to diversity, but during the height of the witch-hunts being different was unacceptable and seen as a sign of witchcraft. While I do not accept everything I hear with blind faith, I am skeptical of most of the conspiracy theories that I have encountered. I am not definitive in my beliefs about conspiracies as a whole because some conspiracies seem plausible, while other seem nonsensical. It was not difficult for me to believe that witches held a “Sabbath” and celebrated by mixing the fat of children with poisonous animals such as serpents. However, I do not believe that every individual that was accused of witchcraft was in fact guilty. In some cases, such as the case of Dame Alice Kyteler, evidence showed that the accused were indeed guilty. In other instances, such as the Salem witch trials, innocent people died because they were wrongfully accused. Conspiracy theorists are still perpetuating their arguments today in premises that range from government protected aliens living in Area 51 to beliefs that September 11th was orchestrated by...
Words: 461 - Pages: 2
...Work citation Ahmed, Saeed. "Ebola Hysteria: An Epic, Epidemic Overreaction." CNN. Cable News Network, 20 Oct. 2014. Web. 23 Nov. 2014. http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/20/health/ebola-overreaction/ Feuer, Alan. "The Ebola Conspiracy Theories." The New York Times. The New York Times, 18 Oct. 2014. Web. 23 Nov. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/sunday-review/the-ebola-conspiracy-theories.html?_r=0>. Greenberg, Karen. "America's Response to Ebola Looks Disturbingly Similar to the War on Terror." Mother Jones. Zuma Press, 12 Nov. 2014. Web. 23 Nov. 2014. <http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/11/4-lessons-war-terror-apply-ebola-fight>. Hananoki, Eric. "Fox Doc's Racial Rant: Obama Welcomes Ebola Because His "Affinities" Are With Africa." Media Matters 14 Oct. 2014. Fox News Radio's The John Gibson Show. Web. 21 Nov. 2014. <http://mediamatters.org/blog/2014/10/15/fox-docs-racial-rant-obama-welcomes-ebola-becau/201168>. Regan, Michael P. "Ebola Hits Market Already Feeling Ill From Economic Data." Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 15 Oct. 2014. Web. 22 Nov. 2014. <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-15/ebola-hits-market-already-feeling-ill-from-economic-data.html Obeidallah, Dean. "Republicans Want You Scared of Ebola." The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 27 Oct. 2014. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/10/27/republicans-want-you-scared-of-ebola.html>. "US Blamed for Being behind Ebola Crisis - Press TV Report...
Words: 279 - Pages: 2
...home for a visit. While Emma is getting into the car before heading home she starts to vomit. While they are at home and Craven is preparing them dinner, Emma’s nose starts to bleed, she vomits again, and becomes worried. Emma starts telling her father that she needs to go see a doctor right away, and she needs to tell Craven something. On their way out the front door to go to the hospital, a gunman, fires and hits Emma and she passes away in her father’s arms. Craven first appear to have been the target, however, the more he learns and uncovers it starts to lead him to rethink that. He learns that his daughter led a life that not too many people knew about that lead to her murder. He also uncovers a corporate cover-up and government conspiracy, that Emma became aware of that Northmoor was manufacturing nuclear weapons. After Craven started uncovering more and more evidence and revealing that they know almost everything that happened, the head of Northmoor orders Craven to be poisoned just as his daughter Emma was. Craven is now very ill and goes to Bennett’s house, who is the head of Northmoor, he kills one of the people at Bennett’s house who Craven comes to realize he is the man that shot his daughter. Bennett tries to kill Craven by shooting him, which ends up wounding him, Craven is able to get a hold of Bennett and forces Bennett to drink the positioned milk. Bennett tries to go get the pills to counteract the poison, however, Craven is able to shoot and kill Bennett...
Words: 1223 - Pages: 5
