C&D mt4 state crime EXPLANATIONS

Question 1

explanations for state crime 3

Answer 1

authritarian personality
crimes of obedience
moderity

Question 2

authoritarian personality

Answer 2

adorno et al used the F-scale to measure the authoritarian personality. those who scored highly were contemptous of the weak, held disticnt stereoptyoes and were very aware of hierarchial social class. this developed from strict rigid parenting and are more likely to obey superiors.
eg those who commit genocide

Question 3

crimes of obedience

Answer 3

green & ward- in order to overcome norms agaist the use of cruelty those involved in torture have to be re-socialised, trained and exposed to propoganda about the enemy.

states create enclaves of barbarism- this prepares the torturer to regard torture as a 9-5 job

hamilton studied the my lai masscare in vietnam which killed 400 civilians & identidied 3 features that rpoduce crimes of obedience
1- authorisation- ordered/ approved by those in authority
2- routinisation- turned into a rotuine the indiivduals can perform in a detached manner
3- dehumanisation- enemy is protraed as sub- human so morality doesnt apply

Question 4

modernisation

Answer 4

Bauman - features of modernity cause genocide
1- division of labour- each person responsibile for one small task so no one felt repsonsbile for atrocity
2- bureaucratisation- normalised the killing b making it a repetitive, rule-governed routine job, enemy dehumanised
3- instrumental rationality- use of rational methods used to achieve the goal (kill as man people)
4- science & tech- trains used to transport people, gas used to kill them

Question 5

how do states deny & legitimate crimes?

Answer 5

1- spiral of denial- to conceal their crimes,
1- it didnt happen
2- it did happen- but it was self defence not a crime
3- even if it is what the media says it is justified