social changes and campaigns Flashcards
what is a social change?
-refers to how over time our norms and values can change
-these changes can influence policies and laws
what are the reasons why people’s norms and values may change?
-religion, feminism, race, protests, science and technology
what are the 3 behaviours that have changed over time?
-smoking
-drink driving
-homosexuality
what was smoking like before the social change?
-in the 1930s it was a social norm to smoke and an acceptable behaviour
-smoking was glamourised and encouraged, even by doctors
-film stars would be seen smoking in films
-acceptable to smoke indoors, around children, in cars etc.
what caused the social change for smoking?
-at the end of WW2, Richard Doll showed smoking caused lung cancer and also many other diseases
-he began to look into this due to Britain having the highest incidence of lung cancer in the world
-took few years for politicians and public to come round to this evidence
what laws were changed around smoking?
-1964= cigarette adverts banned on TV
-2006= health act banned smoking in enclosed work and public spaces
-2004= children and families act banned smoking in vehicles when children are present
-1930s-1960s smoking was socially acceptable, by the 70s most people believed it was unhealthy
-it is now a norm not to smoke in public
what was drink driving like before the social change?
-public attitudes were quite tolerant towards it
-not seen as a serious offence
-government did not collect figures on number of deaths caused by drink driving
-no clear definition of what ‘drunk’ was (no legal alcohol limit)
what caused the social change for drink driving?
-deaths caused by cars increased= 5000 in the 1950s to 8000 in the 1960s
-TV advertising campaigns= first TV advert campaign against drink driving was aired in 1976
what laws were changed around drink driving?
1968= first breathalysers introduced for roadside use
1991= causing death under the influence of alcohol resulted in a sentence of 5 years
2014= sentence increased to 14 years
what was homosexuality like before the social change?
-once seen deviant and criminal
-only accepted norm in UK society was heterosexual love
1533 buggery act= homosexuality punishable by death
1885= any homosexual act made illegal even if acts were committed in private
what caused the social change for homosexuality?
1954= over 1000 men in prison for committing homosexual acts
-death of Alan Turing and persecution of John Gielgud led to an outcry and increased public sympathy towards homosexuals
what laws were changed around homosexuality?
-1967 sexual offences act= homosexuality decriminalised
-20th and 21st century society’s values and norms towards homosexuality is now accepting
-majority of UK population see nothing wrong with same-sex relationships
-homophobia is now seen as socially unacceptable
what is a campaign?
-a social movement that aims to create change
what are the 3 types of campaigns that can lead to policy development?
newspaper campaigns=
-Sarah’s law
-road safety
individual campaigns=
-Ann Ming
-Bobby Turnball
pressure group campaigns=
-British lung foundation
-Howard league penal reform
what is Sarah’s law campaign?
-started in response to Sarah Payne’s murder in 2000 by paedophile Roy Whiting
-her parents were involved and the newspaper ‘News of the word’
-it aimed to get the police to make information about known sex offenders in the local area public, this was for the purpose of safeguarding children from the risk of harm
-they manged to change child protection measures by introducing the child sex offender disclosure scheme
what is THINK’s road safety campaign?
-THINK! was officially started in 2000 in response to car related/roadside deaths
-the central office of information (COI) ran the government safety campaigns
-it aimed to encourage the use of seat belts, tackling excessive speed, drink and drugs and the use of mobiles at the wheel
-they managed to reduce road deaths in the UK by 46%, in the decade that followed the conception of THINK!
what is Ann Ming’s campaign?
-started in response to her daughter Julie Hogg’s murder by Billy Dunlop, who couldn’t be tried for the crime under double jeopardy law
-Ann herself was the main lead in the campaign, as well as Charles Ming helping out (Julie’s dad)
-she aimed to change the 800-year-old law by writing to the home secretary to review the law basis of double jeopardy
-she managed to achieve her aim of abolishing the double jeopardy law
what is Bobby Turnball’s campaign?
-started in response to his mum, sister and auntie’s killing by Michael Atherton (auntie’s partner), who had access to 3 shotguns despite history of domestic violence
-Bobby was the main involvement of this campaign
-he aimed to change the gun laws and also sought to have a gun hotline established for people to report concerns
-he did this by giving interviews to the media, creating a petition which gained 20,000 signatures and lobbied MP’s for support
-he managed to get amendments made to the firearms act 1968, which prevents anyone with a sentence from purchasing a firearm
what is British lung foundation’s campaign?
-started in response to lung research being underfunded and underappreciated
-they aimed to prevent lung disease by campaigning for positive change in the UK’s lung health
-individuals like professor Sir Malcolm Green and other pressure groups like the ASH campaign were involved
-they changed the packets of cigarettes from colourful to drab and standardised packaging, due to research showing young people start smoking due to the eye-catching designs on the packets
-they managed to change the law surrounding smoking in the car while children are present
what is Harold league penal reform’s campaign?
-started to advocate prison reforms (attempt to improve conditions inside prisons) to be the most efficient means of crime prevention
-individuals like Arthur St John, Margaret Fry and Cicely Craven were involved in promoting
-they aimed for less crime in society for safer communities and fewer people in prison
-they managed to campaign over 150 years and had many successes, for example abolishing capital punishment
