Rhetoric in Claims-Making

Best, Joel. "Rhetoric in Claims-Making: Constructing the Missing Children Problem*" Social Problems. Vol. 34, No. 2 (April, 1997). 101-21.

The Best article was extremely helpful in defining what are job for the research project will be and how best to go about deconstructing the claims maid about cell phone etiquette. Best breaks down claims into 3 major categories, data or grounds, warrants or justifications, and conclusions or claims. By looking at claims through these three main processes Best enable us to deepen our understanding on who, how, when, and why claims are made and hoe through the process they are shaped. With Best's direction we can situate claims within their social context.

Punishment and Deterrence

Andenaes, J. 1974. "General Prevention - Illusion or Reality?" (electronic reserves) from Punishment and Deterrence.

Andenaes really breaks down and categorizes prevention methods employed by the law to keep citizens from breaking the law. Andenaes states that the actual effects of punishment are marginalising and "demoralising" for the punished, which I wholeheartedly agree with. But to criticize we must first understand. Prevention is broken down into two main categories, general and specific. Each category has the goal of deterrence, moralizing behavior, and habitualizing law abiding behavior. Individual or specific punishment is directed towards the punished and general prevention is meant to deter others from committing deviant acts.
Andenaes goes on to categorize crime and assigns the best method of punishment for the crime category that produces the best deterrent effect. The six categories for crime that we are given are police offenses, economic, property, moral, murder, and treason, all of which require a relationship between general and individual prevention. The ultimate goal of the prevention method is to eliminate the crime, to stop deviants from committing crimes. Somehow its just not working?

Irrational Rationality

As I walk across campus with my daily heavy load of necessities in tow I cant help but feel controlled by an irrational bureaucracy that dictates where I am allowed to park my car based on seemingly little or no logic whatsoever. Not only is there very little parking at Mills but the parking that does exist is all assigned according to your "place" at the school. None of these assigned lots actually coincide with where any of us need to be on a daily basis. I don't park somewhere because it is convenient to my daily location but because it is my assigned lot. Why cant we park where we like, teachers, residents, and commuters all mixed up together according to their own personal needs. Weber might say that it is just a part of are inevitable iron cage.