Left realism bulimic and practical solutions
- 1. I have a friend who is a probation officer. She says that the first thing young people want when they come out of a prison, or young persons offenders institution is not a meal, not somewhere to live but a new pair of trainers or a new mobile phone. This illustrates Jock Young’s notion of BULIMIC SOCIETY. A BULIMIC SOCIETY is a society in which the poorest most deprived people are more desperate for the trappings of consumer society than other groups in society. Therefore the most excluded and marginalised group crave cultural inclusion – a craving which will surely lead them into crime. 1
- 2. Bulimic Society (Bulimia = abnormally voracious appetite or unnaturally constant hunger) Whereas subcultural interpretations of the ‘anti-social yob’ might assume that such people fall outside mainstream culture, there is evidence to suggest otherwise. Jock Young (2003) identifies that those individuals most likely to be perceived as being anti-social or otherwise criminal (i.e. those lower down the class structure) actually consume greater quantities of these cultural images through the mass media, not smaller quantities. He therefore claims that “paradoxically, cultural inclusion is the inverse of structural inclusion” (Young, 2003:398) He therefore describes contemporary society as “bulimic” where both inclusion and exclusion occur concurrently: “…a bulimic society where massive cultural inclusion is accompanied by systematic structural exclusion. It is a society that has both strong centrifugal and centripetal currents: it absorbs and it rejects.” (Young, 2003) 2
- 3. Left Realists advocate a two-pronged strategy to deal with crime 1 POLICING AND CONTROL A return to community policing as opposed to military style policing so that people see the police as trusted friends not enemies on their doorstep. This will facilitate more crime reportage so that something gets done about crime. There is an urgent need to break the circle of no-go areas, no ‘grassing’, getting away with crime, and thus nothing changes 3
- 4. 2 ADDRESS DEEPER STRUCTURAL CAUSES • Long-term political and social changes needed to incorporate marginalised groups, reduce inequalities and to eradicate ghettos 4
- 5. Criticisms of Left Realism • By focusing on working class crime they ignore the crimes of the powerful which pose a much greater threat to the working class • Relative Deprivation – why don’t all those who feel this commit crime? 5
- 6. Strengths of Left Realism • Highlights the reality of crime in terms of its effects on the victims, especially the poor and vulnerable • Recommends practical measures at street level to improve people’s lives and indeed has had some influence on New Labour policies on crime 6
- 7. Strengths of Left Realism • Highlights the reality of crime in terms of its effects on the victims, especially the poor and vulnerable • Recommends practical measures at street level to improve people’s lives and indeed has had some influence on New Labour policies on crime 6