I like how you connected the idea of masculinity and the incarceration system. The idea that being perceived as strong on something, in this case crime, and protecting something or a group of people has driven people throughout history. Several of our readings have stated that white men lynched African American men based on the idea that they had harmed white women who were thought of as symbols of purity who were only for white men. In the War on Drugs, this can be applied to white communities as politicians did not want drugs to enter white neighborhoods and ruin their children.

Sarah, like everyone else, I appreciated your comments on the role of masculinity. I think you make another good point when you bring up the fact that conservatives tend to support the war on drugs even though it represents a large federal program. I believe there is actually a significant portion of libertarian minded Republicans that would be in favor of ending the drug war, but the issue will likely remain a non-starter on the right because of the family values wing of the party. I think that parents and grand parents in particular tend to see the issue in terms of protecting their children (even though their children probably have access to drugs). Because, as Alexander points out, the drug wars are mostly limited to poor, urban and predominantly black communities, these rural and suburban voters don’t see the negative impact that the war on drugs has on society. I have a faint hope that the present opioid crisis may change perceptions. Perhaps as family values voters encounter a “crisis” that is much closer to home, they will rethink their views on drugs in general and move from a crime and punishment approach to a treatment approach. (This makes sense if you look at it logically, since opioid pain killers and heroin are basically the same thing.) Perhaps this hope is a little naïve, but hey, sometimes you have to take your hope where you can find it.

I also am a strong supporter of emotional support animals and therapy animals. I think originally people assumed that emotional support animals, in particular, were used as an excuse to bring your pet to class. More and more though medical professionals are “prescribing” animals as emotional supports for people with various medical conditions. Study after study has demonstrated that, in general, animals relieve stress and increase endorphins. Unfortunately, there will always be someone who is negatively impacted by the presence of emotional support and therapy animals (via fear, allergies, etc).

I think animals that provide emotional support are helpful and can help students focus and relieve stress. Although dogs barking or whimpering in class can distract students I think we need to be more considerate in the benefit that they bring to students. Maybe we need to alter our thinking more to accept that some students need a therapy dog to perform daily tasks.

Before you mentioned it in your post, my first thought was that in those fields–undergraduate degrees seem to be the expectation. I think there is also an emphasis on work experience. A student who has interned or worked in the field may be more valued than someone who went to get a graduate degree.

Sarah, I like your statement “Overall, I think our readings, taken together, offer framework for us to think about masculinity and criminal justice policy.” Race was the dominant theme I tried to connect throughout the reading, so I like your insight on masculinity. I think Alexander was trying to show readers that in America, whiteness and masculinity are most often associated with power. For Alexander, she wants to show that politics, although helpful, is not enough to change raical attitudes in America. I think she is trying to do a comparison, to show that social movements, like the one necessary to revolutionize racial change, start with those who are not in the political elite. Like stated on page 15, the Civil Rights movement would not have taken off the way it did without the help of grassroots activism.

WOW!! This is such a creative way to blog and indeed a stellar example of being innovative in the classroom! Great job!

Thanks!

Cheers, Lehi

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Lectures are becoming an oldfashioned and ineffective approach to teach. Classes at Minerva are a good example of active learning. This is the approach that we should follow in this digital era. We have to be very creatives in order to engage students in the class!

I think the reason why going through multiple cycles of higher education may be because we as a society value doing over learning. That is, we learn so that we can do, which is the valuable piece of it. However, I also believe that we can always learn new things in other ways. We can learn through hands-on experiences, conferences workshops, tutorials, videos, discussions (as we are now), reflection, and introspection. Although, I would agree that today’s society is much less focused on reflections and introspection (and perhaps even discussion) than societies from the past, which I think is a side effect of having very fast-paced lived that don’t easily allow the time for such activities.

I think we are trained from a young age to choose a profession that has meaning, yet pays the bills and more. Some of us will choose a job that we truly enjoy, but will have to sacrifice by picking up side jobs. Is it better work a job you hate that pays well or do something you love that pays less? I have some friends that will answer that question with a , yes. They then take more of an active role in developing their hobbies to compensate for the job they hate.