Volume 2, Issue 6 (December 15, 1994) Pages 128-161 JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND POPULAR CULTURE** (ISSN 1070-8286) ** Published by the School of Criminal Justice at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Available electronically on Bitnet from SUNYCRJ@ALBNYVM1.BITNET or on Internet from SUNYCRJ@UACSC2.ALBANY.EDU. All rights reserved. Table of Contents page 128 ......... Editors' Notes Feature Article page 129 "Comics: A Tool of Subversion?" By Jeff Williams Pedagogical Forum page 147 A Short Story: An Unconventional Way to Teach and Report Prison Research By J Forbes Farmer Review Essay page 156 Review of _Victims Still: The Political Manipulation of Crime Victims_ by Marilyn D. McShane EDITORS' NOTES: With this issue, _JCJPC_ concludes its second year of publication by announcing a new visual feature and by offering a paper by J Forbes Farmer that explores an experimental pedagogical technique for the criminological discipline. With regard to the former, we would like to draw your attention to our new experimental FTP site. With this facility, we are able to provide images as accompaniments to our articles and review essays. This new feature is introduced with Jeff Williams's article -- "Comics: A Tool of Subversion?" To access the figures for this feature article, FTP to the following address: 128.204.33.18 When probed for a username ("identify yourself to the host") and a password, enter "JCJPC" and "DUCKMAN" (both w/o quotes), respectively. At the "command:" prompt, you may enter a series of commands. Among the most important are: DIR Provides a directory of files. GET "FILENAME" Retrieves any of _JCJPC_'s files available via FTP. Simple replace imply replace "FILENAME" with "FILENAME" with the file of your your choice. choice QUIT Allows you to leave the FTP site. HELP Provides information about the other commands that are available. at are available. The files available via FTP are zipped in PKZIP 2.0 and require a graphics viewer compatible with .PCX in order to be used. Any successful journal depends on insightful and provocative contributions, and in this regard we have been fortunate indeed. Yet a journal would be equally ill served if it did not have at its disposal a pool of talented referees, capable of perspicacious and enlightening commentary. To our delight, we have been able to tap into such a rich reserve. We would like to take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to the following individuals: Chris Amirault Martin Gottschalk Michael Lynch Ray Surette Frankie Bailey Robert Hunter Brendan Maguire Hans Toch Thomas Bernard Philip Jenkins Graeme Newman Adam Bouloukos Michael Leiber Eric Riksheim Robert Chaires Susan Lentz Mark Seis Bruce Dicristina Matthew Leone Tony Smith David Duffee Rick Lovell Jeff Snipes -page 129- COMICS: A TOOL OF SUBVERSION? by Jeff Williams Texas Tech University English Department A. Introduction Social attacks on comics, both books and strips, have a long history in America, beginning with the first day of the appearance of the "Yellow Kid" (in color) on February 16, 1896. The "Yellow Kid" was disliked because of his rudeness, slap-stick style cruelty, and overall sensationalism (Waugh, 1991:6-7). Some early opponents of comics included: Ambrose Bierce, Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy, William Rockhill Nelson, and Max Nordau; there were also crusades organized by individuals and groups (Davidson, 1958:255; Waugh, 1991:7). The most spectacular assault on comics came from Dr. Fredric Wertham and the resulting Congressional Hearings, 1954-55. The debate was quelled, possibly, by two important events, the establishment of the Comics Code Authority (a self-censoring institution of the comics industry) and the diversion of public attention away from comics to television and film. The following years of relative calm witnessed a heightened interest in comics demonstrable by the increasing number of scholarly studies on comics (e.g., Duncan, 1990; Inge, 1990; Sabin, 1993; Whitlark, 1988; Witek, 1989), University Libraries containing special collections (e.g., Bowling Green State, Michigan State, and Ohio State), and the serious study of popular culture in general (evidenced by the existence of the American Culture Association, Popular Culture Association [PCA], and university departments set up for the study of popular culture). This seems sufficient proof to assume that Wertham's ghost was put to rest; however, the outrage over comics is re-emerging. A direct proof of the re-emergence of Wertham's ghost can be found in John Fulce's attack on comics, _Seduction of the Innocent Revisited_, published in 1990. And cases of actual censorship are on the rise. Due to complaints from evangelical groups, Fleetway (an independent comic book company) withdrew plans to publish "True Faith", the story of a pious Christian plumber, distraught over the death of his -page 130- wife and newborn, who desires to inflict vengeance on God through acts of terrorism on churches in south London in order to lure God out of hiding and then kill him with a Colt .44 magnum (Economist, 1991:82). In another instance a printer for college newspapers, the _Ellsworth American_, refused to publish an "obscene" comic strip by free lance cartoonist Steve Kurth; a few weeks later Kurth's illustration for another college newspaper was pulled by the assistant editor (Fox, 1991:15-16). During a conference session on "The Comics Page" at Ohio State University's 1992 Festival of Cartoon Art, the discussion veered from gender and race diversity to heated discussions over the rights of newspaper editors to substitute less offensive words for words such as "damn", "God", and "hell" (Astor, 1992:32-33). More recently there was a hot debate over a series of the syndicated comic strip, "For Better or Worse", for its sequence on a teen who reveals that he is gay. Forty newspapers (including: the _Boston Globe_, the _St. Louis Post-Dispatch_, and the _Arkansas Democrat-Gazette_) and the _Las Vegas Review Journal_, dropped the strip due to protest calls and letters from over a thousand subscribers. The _St. Louis Post-Dispatch_ alone suffered a loss of readership numbering eight to nine hundred. Out of the forty newspapers, twenty canceled the strip permanently (Astor, 1992:32; Kiernan, 1993:1; Tipton, 1993:1A). Creator Lynn Johnston did receive support and encouragement from some Canadian readers. "Canadians seem to be more open-minded about gays than many Americans" (Astor, 1992:32). Though Canadians may be more accepting of gays, they are not accepting of "gun-toting superhero[s] ridding the world of Quebec separatist terrorists" (Authier, 1993:A1). The Parti Quebecois demanded that the first issue of DC Comics' _Justice League Task Force_ be pulled from newsstands declaring it "hate literature". The issue in question contained a story- line where superhero, Martian Manhunter, rescues two hostages from a paramilitary force of French separatists who want Quebec to secede from Canada. The killing of four separatists is described in the comic book as a "politically correct murder" (Authier, 1993:A1). Another public outcry occurred in Tampa Bay, Florida over the publication of _Boiled Angel_, an independent publication by Michael Christopher Diana. Diana was taken to court over obscenity charges for his comic depicting satanic sacrifice, sodomy, child rape, and serial murder. On March 31, 1994, he was found guilty of publishing a "lewd and obscene" publication (Romenesko, 1994). Diana claims that his work is -page 131- satire and should be taken as a joke (Griffin, 1993:3B). In the same vein, Hart Fisher, distributor of a comic book about the famed serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer, was ordered by an Illinois judge to stop selling the comic book pending a class action law suit by eight families of Dahmer's victims (Hollywood Reporter, 1992:17). B. Gramsci and Subversion The above amply demonstrates that some comics are still considered subversive and that criticism against the medium is growing. This idea of subversiveness needs clarification in order to analyze a sampling of current comic books and answer the title question of my article. The definition of subversion will be based on Antonio Gramsci's social theory of hegemony. Though Gramsci lived in the early 1900's and died in 1937, most of his writings were unavailable to the non- Italian reading public until the 1960's. Since then because of "conceptual advances within Marxism and [a] strategic relevance to movements for liberation in the developed capitalist societies. ..." (Boggs, 1976:7) Gramsci has received increasing attention in the United States and Western Europe. This is clearly seen by the works of contemporary scholars in various fields (e.g., Adamson, 1980; Cirese, 1982; de Lauretis, 1987; Denemark, 1990; Holub, 1992; Tuman, 1988; Villanueva, 1991). Also the most recent issue of _PRE/TEXT: A Journal of Rhetorical Theory_ (Vol. 13, 1-2 Spring/Summer 1992), is "situated within the project of Gramsci, ...(Berlin and Trimbur, 1992:12). Gramsci defines two important terms in his theory: hegemony and counter-hegemony. Intricately connected to these terms are the concepts of reproduction and reification. Hegemony is the ideological power structure in any given society; the status quo. In _Gramsci's Marxism_, Carl Boggs describes hegemony as follows: In Gramsci's view, class domination is exercised as much through popular 'consensus' achieved in civil society as through physical coercion (or threat of it) by the state apparatus, especially in advanced capitalist societies where education, the media, law, mass culture, etc. take on a new role (p.17). Hegemony, therefore, implies that all aspects of society and culture are tools of the current dominant order, either on a conscious or subconscious/subliminal level. Hegemony, like counter-hegemony, is an organic process. And as an organic process there are occasional shifts. These shifts allow an opportunity for change and involve consciousness, action, history and especially language. A question of language is an indicator that other problems are about to emerge, a possible -page 132- reorganization (Gramsci, 1985:183-84). Gramsci refers to this process as praxis. Gramsci (1985) conceived that true liberation required the creation of "a new 'integrated culture'" (p.17). This culture would create a different world-view and thereby change the current hegemony. Counter-hegemony is the force behind true revolution and a counter-hegemonic structure is the only force capable of subverting "the capacity of dominant elites to manipulate attitudes, values, and life-styles through media, education, culture, language, etc. ..." (p.40). Changing societal world-views is not an easy task. Hegemonies have two powerful tools (of which the United States is an expert user), namely, reproduction and reification. Reproduction is simply the propagation of the hegemony; it is carried out through mass culture, folklore, language, the media- all the elements that are used by the dominant hegemony to control the subaltern group, the working class as well as any minority or sub group being dominated by hegemonic powers (Gramsci, 1971:52-55; Villanueva, 1991:250-251, 254). A more insidious tool is reification, where the hegemony absorbs counter-hegemonic elements and presents them to the masses as their own. This process dilutes the original revolutionary strength; it dilutes and distorts a new world- view into something more like the old-world view (Boggs,1984:168-171; Gramsci, 1971:279-318). The term reification has been borrowed from Georg Lukacs (Boggs, 1976:68) and is used interchangeably with rationalization, alienation, and commodification. The reason for relating reification with alienation is that the process takes away the identity of the subaltern group as a group. The process of reification is also closely related to Gramsci's "passive revolution" (p.50). For the purpose of this paper subversion, using Gramscian social theory, is anything that is counter-hegemonic. The term subversion has previous connotations. In the attacks on comics previously mentioned, subversion has implied moral improprieties. Rock music, the drug culture, etc. are all seen as subversive in a moral sense. Politically, subversion can be illustrated from the left and from the right. For this paper the term subversion will be used as a synonym for counter-hegemony as a way to vary the language. In order to answer the question of subversiveness in comics, seven different comic book titles will be analyzed. These titles were selected for their diversity and varying degrees of subversiveness. The comics analyzed provide a continuum of subversiveness. The continuum is: the non- subversive comic; the non-subversive comic with slight counter-hegemonic tendencies; the comic with surface -page 133- subversive tendencies but supports the hegemony; the slightly subversive comic that is actually an illustration of reification; the comic that appears counter-hegemonic but contains reified themes; a comic that was counter-hegemonic at one time but has since been reified; and a current subversive comic. The seven comic books are: _Superman #53_ (published by DC Comics), _Spiderman_ (published by Marvel Comics), Andrew Vachss' _Hard Looks #1_ (published by Dark Horse Comics), _Palestine #4_ (published by Fantagraphics Books), _Something Different #3_ (published by Wooga Central), _The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers_ (published by Rip Off Press), and _Girlhero #1_ (published by High Drive Publications). As mentioned earlier, because Gramsci presents his ideas through a Marxist construct, the notions of subversion and counter-hegemony will be viewed from the left. The reader should be aware that there are right-winged subversive comics (_Lobo_ and _The Punisher_ are two examples), and counter- hegemonies with far right agendas do exist. The more a comic-book upholds the values and world view of the current hegemony the less subversive. As the world view is changed and the values of the current hegemony are broken down, then the more subversive or counter-hegemonic a comic-book is. C. Comics and Counter-Hegemonic Subversion The first comic book to be discussed is _Superman #53_. This particular issue is noteworthy for its cover (Figure 1). Here Superman is seen as the symbol of the United States with his stalwart pose, salute, and the American flag in the background. The title of the story, "Truth, Justice, and the American Way", is written on the stripes of the waving flag. Superman is seen as an integral part of the flag, almost inseparable. From the cover alone the reader can discern that Superman's function is to reproduce the current hegemony. The story-line in this issue reinforces this opinion. "Truth, Justice, and the American Way" is the story of a foreign leader gone bad. The United States' government wants Marlo, the leader of Qurac, extradited and brought to trial for terrorist acts in Metropolis. Marlo is being held in the Russian Embassy. Superman is asked to escort the plane that will bring Marlo to the US. Superman agrees, reluctantly, and during the journey appears to have failed in protecting Marlo's life; his plane is shot down by one of the "Sons of Liberty" (a terrorist group). In the last pages, the reader learns that Marlo is safe. The downed plane was a decoy, and a US Major had "fronted" the terrorist group. The crimes and intrigues involved are reminiscent of Noriega, the Iran-Contra scandal and the news stories of the behind-the-scenes -page 134- machinations of the US in Iraq before the Gulf War. The depiction of governmental scandal may appear to border on the counter-hegemonic, or at least be considered passively revolutionary. But a close reading of the last two panels prove this story to be reproductive of the current hegemony (Figure 2 and Figure 2A). Superman has learned that the General had suspicions of the Major and was building a criminal case linking the Major with Marlo and the military rebuilding of Qurac. During the six months required to build a case Qurac had launched many terrorist attacks and innocent lives were lost. Superman responds to the General's justifications by saying he, Superman, must respect all human life. The General reminds Superman that the US is his, Superman's, country. Superman responds (Figure 2A) that America "works best when the people know that corrupt officials cannot bend the letter of the law... and get away with it!" (Ordway et al., 1991:22). With this statement Superman has reminded the readers that the United States has a system of checks and balances. The last panel (Figure 2A) shows two officers agreeing with Superman and saluting, while the General, thinking that Superman is politically naive, prays that Superman "never turns against us..." (p.22). A symbolic interpretation of this last panel reveals that even if corruption exists in the US government, it is only one third of the officials, while the remaining two thirds are actively protecting the laws and ideals of the US. Superman is seen here as the true patriot and defender of the masses and to emphasize this point the reader is told that in the next issue Superman will be in World War II (a subject that harkens back to the days of ultra-patriotic superheroes). Superman is not afraid to admit that corruption is possible, but he knows that the system works and in the end corruption will be exposed. In this way Superman serves as a traditional intellectual; "traditional intellectuals pass on the 'truths' of the State and the dominant hegemony in their work within subaltern institutions, the institutions of civil society." (Villanueva, 1991:25). The subaltern institutions are twofold in the case of Superman. Within the world of Metropolis, Superman's alias is Clark Kent, a newspaper reporter dedicated to bringing the "truth" to the citizens. Clark Kent was raised by a farm family in a small town, Smallville. Clark, and Superman both, within their respective spheres, have the power to create a counter-hegemony, but instead uphold the "truths of the State." The other subaltern institution is American popular culture and mass media. Clark and Superman are not only carrying their messages to the fictional citizens of a fictional Metropolis, but the message is also being taken to the young readers of Superman comics. The dominant American hegemony is quite safe in the hands of Superman. -page 135- A Marvel counterpart to DC's Superman is Spiderman. In "real life" Spiderman is Peter Parker, who is a free lance photographer for the _Daily Bugle_, a New York City newspaper in the Universe of the Marvel publishing company. Another similarity to Superman is that Spiderman's costume is also red and blue, colors associated with the American flag and ideals of national patriotism. The New York City of the Marvel Universe, however, has a darker side than the Metropolis of the DC Universe. Problems abound in the social order of Spiderman's New York City. But, so do solutions as the most recent story-line illustrates. "Maximum Carnage" is a fourteen part story that introduced a new Spiderman title, _Spiderman Unlimited_, and ran through the four other Spiderman comic books; _Amazing Spiderman_, _Spectacular Spiderman_, _Spiderman_, and _Web of Spiderman_. In this story, Carnage (a super-villain with powers similar to Spiderman) breaks out of a maximum security institution for the criminally insane, Ravencroft (DeFalco et al., 1993). He teams up with other super-villains, including Shriek. Shriek has the psychic power to amplify the emotions, such as fear, hatred, anger, etc., of others (De Matteis et al., 1993). This super-villain team goes to New York City, commits mass murder and causes large sections of the city to riot and generate "maximum carnage." (Michelinie et al., 1993). Spiderman teams up with other superheroes to defeat the super-villains (De Matteis et al., 1993; Kavanagh et al., 1993). At first their mere presence calms the crowds and quells the disorder, but Shriek increases the amplification of negative emotions and the populace begin to turn on the superheroes. Next, one of the superheroes, Iron Fist, uses his own psychic abilities through Eastern meditation techniques to return the crowd to normal. But, the crowd, aided by Shriek, regains their hatred; Iron Fist's methods fail (De Matteis et al., 1993). His technique, however, gives Spiderman an idea. Meanwhile another superhero, Dagger, tries using a metaphysical light to subdue Shriek. Though this attempt succeeds at first; it fails in the end (De Matteis et al., 1993). Spiderman, then fights the villains alone and as he is about to be beaten his allies arrive at the scene with "an Alpha Magni-Illuminizor... a good bomb." (p.18). This device is a scientific invention created in a special laboratory and is designed to duplicate, with higher intensities, the meditative effects Iron Fist used earlier. Metaphysics, or the spiritual reality, was unable to cure society of the maximum carnage plague, even the combined strength of the superheroes themselves failed the task. But, -page 136- American technology, through science, came to the rescue. And science is political according to Gramsci; it can maintain the dominant hegemony or contain the seeds of a counter-hegemony (Boggs, 1984:139; Gramsci, 1971:244). Spiderman, like Superman, is both superhero and worker for the mass media; he is a redefined intellectual: Rather than occupying a realm peripheral to the social relations of production, or carrying out strictly ideological tasks within them, the intellectuals- as technicians, managers, professionals, academics, cultural workers, and top-level bureaucrats- now carry out a variety of necessary tasks within the economy, political system, and culture (Boggs, 1984:285). For Spiderman, the "necessary task[s]" was restoring the hegemonic order; anarchy is unacceptable. Though the New York City of the Marvel Universe is more unstable than the Metropolis of the DC Universe, the dominant hegemony is still in safe hands, and has an effective tool in Spiderman. A world darker yet than Spiderman's New York City, is the world of Andrew Vachss. Vachss is better known for his novels about New York City's backstreets and Burke, an ex-con turned private troubleshooter. His novels include: _Flood_, _Strega_, _Blue Belle_, and _Sacrifice_. Recently Vachss has been working with the independent comic book company, Dark Horse, where his short stories have been adapted to the comic book. _Hard Looks_ is a hard look at all that is wrong with our society and judicial/law system. Jerry Prosser, editor of _Hard Looks_, describes Vachss' world in the section "Stalking Horse" of _Hard Looks: Number One_: ...Vachss explores a horrifying world- a world all the more horrifying because it really exists and most of us choose to ignore it. A world wherein the life of a child is only worth the price it can bring on the street; wherein predators of children move with impunity in a system designed to protect their rights at the expense of the rights of their victims. Our world (Vachss, 1992). It is a work that appears to be very subversive. The foreboding world of _Hard Looks_ can be seen in the first issue's cover (Figure 3). The story artwork is in black and white, and each issue contains one complete short story. The art and types of stories are reminiscent of EC Comics from the early 1950s and the Alfred Hitchcock television series. But this comic is not for children, and a glance at the cover bears this out (Figure 3). The movie marquee advertises triple x-rated films, one of the stores, advertising flesh, -page 137- nude, special service, and forbidden hardcore, is also rated triple X. In the pages of _Hard Looks_ are stories with twists and turns. "Dumping Ground" is about two security guards who rape women and then feed their dead bodies to a pack of wild dogs. After tossing their latest victim, the security guards return to their car to find the dog pack waiting for them, and justice is finally served. "Statute of Limitations" is the short story about a woman who wants revenge on the step-father who abused her from the time she was a baby until her teenage years. "The Unwritten Law" is a story of murder and how two con artists outsmart the law. The last story, "Hostage", is about a "bad" cop who has had his gun taken away and schemes a way to get it back. As Prosser wrote in "Stalking Horse" the world Vachss writes about is "our world." And for all the potential subversion, Vachss does not want radical change, but rather reform of the current system. Besides being a novelist, short story, and comic book writer, Vachss is an attorney who specializes in cases pertaining to youth; he is another redefined intellectual. Though the current hegemony is not exactly safe in Vachss' hand; he is not an open threat either and the reader can rest assured that if the system fails to bring about justice some unseen force will (as described in "Dumping Ground"). Or if the criminals get away with the crime, as in "Unwritten Law", the story can have a cathartic effect through the reader's vicarious experience of the "perfect" crime. _Hard Looks_ is not as clean and pure as the Superman or Spiderman books; it is not so totally reproductive of the dominant hegemony; it fits more in the reification role in that the dominant hegemony can be seen as having a liberal side by allowing its publication and thereby admitting it can do no harm. _Palestine_ is a comic that offers another portrayal of "our world," but the world here is not New York City, but the world of political turmoil in Palestine and Israel. The writer and artist, Joe Sacco, spent two months in Jerusalem and the Occupied Territories to research _Palestine_ during the winter of 1991-92. Jim Woodring writes that "Joe Sacco's light-seeking personality and superb storytelling skills enable him to convey with raw, sweet humanist compassion the bitter passions of this seemingly insoluble conflict" (qtd. in Sacco, 1993). In describing _Palestine_, Woodring further writes that "...Palestine seems to point to the manipulation of both factions by a common enemy: a malignant and invisible monster of hate that has men and governments at each other's throats for reasons that defy resolution" (qtd. in Sacco, 1993). -page 138- This comic book is more subversive than _Hard Looks_ in that the subject matter is sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and international politics has a tendency to generate more impassioned debate than domestic crime and inner-city street life. Such sympathy towards the Palestinians can be construed as subversive because of their alleged ties with terrorism and far left politics (associations with the Soviet Union and Marxism). The short work, "A Palestinian Joke", is a scathing attack on Israel through their secret service, Shin Bet (Figure 4 and Figure 4A). The Shin Bet comes across as irrational, inordinately cruel, and worse than the CIA or KGB. As subversive as _Palestine_ could be, it still does not fall into the counter-hegemonic category. Many readers will already be familiar with the dissident material of the late 60s and early 70s from the then Soviet Union. The atrocities in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and police brutality in the US will also be familiar reference points for readers of _Palestine_. In other words, there is nothing really new here; in fact, the contents fit well into the schema of political pluralism and the Gramscian notion of passive revolution. _Palestine_ is simply a small voice for the other side and can just as easily be ignored as foreign propaganda, as something that is happening somewhere else and not "in one's own backyard." Another argument can be made, the same made in reference to _Hard Looks_, and that is the argument of intended audience. _Palestine_ is intended for "mature readers," readers who may already be sympathetic to the Palestinian cause or have strong opinions that cannot be changed one way or the other. The recent events in the Middle East may also serve to dilute any subversion and remember, according to Woodring, Sacco's emphasis is on hatred and not governments. Sacco wants compassion, not the overthrow of governments or radical changes in foreign policy. A comic that lies even closer to the edge of subversion than _Palestine_ is _Something Different_. To support the Palestinians is one controversial issue, but to support witchcraft, or the occult, is another issue altogether. "Ember Days" is the first part of a two part story-line, "The Last Song of the Benandanti," which is a parody of Franz Werfel's _The Song of Bernadette_. Instead of visions of the Virgin Mary and a young woman entering a convent, "Ember Days" is the story of a witch's coven and the inquisition. While the members of the coven are applying the "transvecting ungent" that will enable them to leave their bodies and engage in a spiritual battle to save the local crops, Rotaro, the miller, is being interrogated by the inquisition and attempting to dispel any connection between the Benandanti and witchcraft (Cusick & Mangan, 1993:25-26). A closer look will illustrate some of the subversive -page 139- qualities of _Something Different_ (Figure 5 and Figure 5A). The most notable social deviation is the nudity, though the nudity is casual and non-sexual. The most subversive element of this page is when Anna is asked to tell a story. Anna, in turn, asks "A story? A true story or a myth?" (Cusick & Mangan, 1993:26) and when Wolf asks "Is there a difference Steelenmutter?" Anna answers "No, Wolf. I guess there isn't..." (Cusick & Mangan, 1993:26). The subversion is the questioning of reality and totally erasing the boundary between myth and history and the larger dichotomy between folklore, or religion of the people, and that religion set up by the ecclesiastical hierarchy, which is the backdrop for "The Last Song of the Benandanti." For Gramsci folklore represents a world-view that is in opposition to the "official" world-view, or the conceptions of the world held by the dominant hegemony (Gramsci, 1985:189). In this way folklore is vital in bringing "about the birth of a new culture among the broad masses... ." (p.191). Therefore, seeing myth as truth is the beginning of creating a counter- hegemony. The editorial comment would also lead the reader to view _Something Different_ as subversive. Here, the reader is told that the purpose of this comic is to include "spoof, parody, humor...." and another purpose is to "annoy, anger, outrage, irritate...." (Cusick & Mangan, 1993:49). Though with humor and spoof as the first objectives, there is a question of seriousness. In addition to this, the occult, including psychic readings and new age philosophies, is something of a fad in popular culture as indicated by the numerous specialty shops which cater to occult related books and paraphernalia. And the Supreme Court recently ruled that animal sacrifice is protected under the constitutional protection of freedom of religion. So for all the subversive pretensions, _Something Different_ comes up short. It, too, falls into the realm of reification; the tolerated "subversion." A comic book that does fall into the counter-hegemonic camp, is _The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers_. This comic book and other "underground" comics, such as _Zap Comix_, _Skull Comics_, _Quagmire_, and _Slow Death Funnies_, comprise the popular culture of the counter-culture from the 1960s. The advertisements alone demonstrate this notion. In the _Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers_ there are adds for drug related practical jokes: exploding joints, plastic "roaches", police siren cushions and dribble syringes (Shelton, 1985). Another type of advertisement asks for real stories; "keep those cards and letters coming, fellow freaks! If you know a true tale of revolutionary adventure, or an interesting bit of dope lore... put it down on paper and mail it in!" (Shelton, 1991). With such "folklore," these comics become more than a vehicle for humor, they become the vehicle for the kind of folklore and popular culture mentioned above. -page 140- The "underground" comics illustrated an anti-hegemonic, anti-authority, anti-war sentiment and expressed a desire for freedom from many current mores of the late 1960s. Mark Estren (1993) discusses this point in excellent detail in _A History of Underground Comics_. And yet for all their subversion, these comics have been subjected to a subtle form of reification. Recently there has been increased scholarly interest (e.g., Estren, 1993; Groth & Fiore, 1988; Wiater & Bissette, 1993), there is a market for original printings and first issues (Kennedy, 1982), and reprints are being published and made available through catalogs or in area comic specialty shops. "Undergrounds" have been accepted, the times and condition of society represented between their covers is considered past. They now have a status that is reminiscent of an old joke. A young American is talking with a young Russian and says, "In America I have the freedom to stand before the White House and criticize American capitalism and politics." The Russian replies, "So what! I have the freedom to stand in Red Square and criticize American capitalism and politics, too." The last comic book to be analyzed also falls into the counter-hegemonic camp, but it falls squarely into the middle of it and has yet to fall victim to reification. The comic is _Girlhero_ by Megan Kelso. This work combines cyberpunk (the most recent counterculture), feminism, and Marxism. The story-line is about a young woman, Bottlecap, who works in a factory, Boehauser, and she thinks she is making parts of airplanes. Bottlecap is laid off and uses stolen equipment and medication from the factory to operate on her arm, turning it into a rivet gun. Later she gets her job back and organizes a revolution. This issue ends with all females being fired, Bottlecap and friends living in a hideout, and Boehauser security getting a lead on their whereabouts. The subversiveness of this comic takes five forms. First, the title offers the reader some subtle messages. Girl, which in this case could be interpreted in the same derogatory manner as calling a mature black man "boy", is combined with hero and plays on the constructs of women's role in society. This concept is reinforced in the story-line, where Bottlecap and company show themselves to be powerful, thoughtful planners of revolution. Bottlecap is a "girl" only in the eyes of the exploitative company Boehauser, while she is a hero to her peers. The other expressions of subversion are best discussed in the context of the text itself (Figure 6 and Figure 6A). This comic has a surrealistic style in the panel design, artwork, and verbal text. Girlhero is in black and white, and the top panel (Figure 6A) is reminiscent of a scene from _Metropolis_, the surrealistic silent film about a future society. Notions -page 141- of reality, conceptions of the world, and world-views are all very important in maintaining the dominant hegemony; any tampering with any one of these notions can be considered counter-hegemonic as seen in Gramsci's (1985) writing on folklore (pp.188-195). Other examples of this blurring of reality is seen by the operation Bottlecap is performing on Yolanda, hooking her brain up to Boehauser's main computer (Figure 6A). The touch of cyberpunk is especially important as it marks the appearance of reification from the counter-hegemonic perspective. The surface message relates to the social comment on American subalterns; readers are forced to ask whether becoming part machine isn't part and parcel of working in a factory, whether that factory is designed to build airplanes, or educate the children, youth, and young adults of American society. However, Bottlecap and her gang are using this concept as a means to carry off a revolt. The mechanized human as a subject of submission has been reified to a concept of rebellion. These ideological questions comprise the second subversive expression. Thirdly, Bottlecap is "sowing the seeds of dissent among the women workers at Boehauser." (Kelso, 1993). Open revolt ensues and Bottlecap kills a Boehauser security man, which, according to one of her friends is peanuts compared to killing a cop (Kelso, 1993). It is true that this scene is obviously Marxist, due to the factory setting. But what makes _Girlhero_ truly subversive or counter-hegemonic is the blending of all five components. The subversive qualities of _Girlhero_ are, therefore, the bending of reality, the ideological questions that are raised, and the advocacy of revolution along with the practice of reversed reification. D. Conclusion: Comments On The Industry The comics analyzed can be divided into two major groups; mainstream comics and independents. The main difference between the two is market share and distribution. DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and to some extent Dark Horse Comics can be considered mainstream because comics published by these companies can be found in grocery stores, drug stores, and convenience stores in addition to specialty comic shops. In terms of market share, Marvel Comics has 41.7 percent, DC Comics has 29.4 percent, and all other comic book publishers have 28.9 percent (Jefferson, 1990:B1). In a _Preview_ comics catalog there were a total of 169 comic book publishers (and there are many companies who do not advertise in the major catalogs). Though the comics analyzed make up a small portion of all the comics that are published, other scholars (e.g., Belk, 1987; DiFazio, 1973) have analyzed a wider sample that -page 142- cover a greater diversity. In terms of reproducing the hegemony, John DiFazio (1973) claims "that comic books generally present values considered important in our society... ." (p.231). Russell Belk (1987) found that "comic books may have a positive socializing influence on children; those emphasizing themes of wealth conform to socially acceptable stereotypes concerning the acquisition and use of wealth." (p.38). As the two comics that were the least subversive were published by companies that comprise a combined total of 71.1 percent of the market, it would seem to be safe to conclude that most comics are not subversive. In fact, comics are more likely to be propagandistic in favor of the current dominant hegemony, and the article "Propagandistic Aspects of Modern Comic-Books" by H. Paymans (1976) leans slightly in this same direction. It is interesting to note that the more subversive comics are published by independents and are less accessible to the general public than the mainstream comics. It is tempting to make vast generalizations when dealing with a medium such as comics, and the time has arrived to ask if such generalizations are possible. The material here has been presented and analyzed in a way to convince the reader that comics, for the most part, are not subversive; the vast majority serve to reproduce the hegemony, or at the least have fallen victim to reification, but a quick glance at the comic book industry will prove that the days for making general statements about comics is over, if those days ever existed in the first place. Annual sales of comics have reached $700 million (with current predictions of one billion dollars for 1994), which is a 500 percent increase from 1980 (Jensen, 1993:33). Some 800 titles are published a year and though the comic book market has not regained the household penetration rate of 90 percent from the 1940s, comics can be found in 50 percent of today's households, with signs of a steady increase apparent (Bianchi, 1993:108). With over 169 comic book companies producing everything from Disney characters to such titles as _Real Smut_ and _Mistress of Bondage_ (both published by Eros Comix) the diversity is such that generalizations are not possible. In order to truly discern if comics are subversive, each title must be taken on its own merit and analyzed carefully over many issues. -page 143- BIBLIOGRAPHY Adamson, W. (1980). _Hegemony and revolution: A study of Antonio Gramsci's political and cultural theory_. Berkeley: University of California Press. Astor, D. (1992). "G-Rated comics in an X-rated world?" _Editor & Publisher_, (November 7):32-33. --------. (1993). "Comic with gay character is dropped by some papers." _Editor & Publisher_, (April 3):32-33. Authier, P. (1993). "PQ blasts comic whose hero kills separatists." _Montreal Gazette_, (May 29, Final Ed.):A1/Front. Belk, R. (1987). "Material Values in the comics: A content analysis of comic books featuring themes of wealth." _Journal of Consumer Research_, 14:26-42. Berlin, J. & Trimbur, J. (1992). "Introduction." _PRE/TEXT_, 13(1-2):7-15. Bianchi, A. (1993). "Comic attitudes." _INC._, (April):106- 112. Boggs, C. (1976). _Gramsci's Marxism_. London: Pluto Press. --------. (1984). _The two revolutions: Antonio Gramsci and the dilemmas of western Marxism_. Boston: South End Press. Cirese, A. (1982). "Gramsci's observations on folklore." In A. Showstack Sassoon (Ed.), _Approaches To Gramsci_ (pp.212-247). London: Writers and Readers. "Comics and Censorship: The plumber's revenge." (1991). _The Economist_, (January 19):82. Cusick, R. & Mangan, M. (1993). _Something different #3_. East Orange, NJ: Wooga Central. Davidson, S. (1958). _Culture and the comic strips_. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, New York University, New York. DeFalco, Tom, et al. (1993). _Spiderman unlimited_. New York: Marvel Comics. de Lauretis, T. (1987). _Technologies of gender: Essays on theory, film and fiction_. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. -page 144- De Matteis, J. (1993). _The spectacular Spiderman_. New York: Marvel Comics. De Matteis, J. (1993). _Spiderman_. New York: Marvel Comics. Denemark, D. (1990). "Making sense of Gramsci in the 1980s." _Political Science_, 42(2):43-50. DiFazio, J. (1973). _A content analysis to determine the presence of selected values found in comic books during two time periods, 1946-1950, 1966-1970_. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Iowa, Iowa City. Duncan, R. (1990). _Panel analysis: A critical method for analyzing the rhetoric of comic book form_. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. Estren, M. (1993). _A history of underground comics_ (3rd Ed). Berkeley, CA: Ronin Publishing. Fox, N. (1991). "Cartoonist tests limits, gets clobbered." _Washington Journalism Review_, (April):15-16. Fulce, J. (1990). _Seduction of the innocent revisited: Comic books exposed_. Lafayette, LA: Huntington House Publishers. Gramsci, A. (1971). _Selections from the prison notebooks of Antonio Gramsci_, (Q. Hoare & G. Nowell-Smith, Eds. & Trans.). New York: International Publishers. ----------. (1985). _Selections from cultural writings_, (D. Forgacs & G. Nowell-Smith, Eds.; W. Boelhower, Trans.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Griffin, L. (1993). "Artist pleads not guilty to obscenity charge." _St. Petersburg Times_, (April 20, City Ed.):3B. Groth, G. & Fiore, R. (Eds.). (1988). _The new comics_. New York: Berkeley Books. _Hollywood Reporter_. (1992). "Judge orders Illinois publisher to stop selling comic." (November 20):17. Holub, R. (1992). _Antonio Gramsci: Beyond Marxism and postmodernism_. London: Routledge. Inge, T. (1990). _Comics as culture_. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi. -page 145- Jensen, J. (1993). "Pow! How comic magazines are riding high." _Advertising Age_, (March 8):33. Jefferson, D. (1990). "Bam! Aargh! Little comics get trounced." _Wall Street Journal_, (January 22, Eastern Ed.):B1. Kavanagh, T. (1993). _Web of Spiderman_. New York: Marvel Comics. -----------. (1993). _Spiderman_. New York: Marvel Comics. Kelso, M. (1993). _Girlhero #1_. San Francisco: High Drive Publications. Kennedy, J. (1992). _The official underground and newave comix price guide_. New York: Crown Publishers. Kiernan, L. (1993). "N.H. paper kills comic strip for gay theme." _Boston Globe_, (March 27, 3rd Ed.):1. Michelinie, D. (1993). _The amazing Spiderman_. New York: Marvel Comics. -------------. (1993). _Spiderman #35_. New York: Marvel Comics. Ordway, J. (1991). _Superman #53_. New York: DC Comics. Paymans, H. (1976). "Propagandistic aspects of modern comic-books." _Gazette_, 22(4):26-42. _Previews_. (1993). 3(October). Timonium, MD: Diamond Distributors. Romenesko, J. (1994). "The Mike Diana/Boiled Angel saga." _Obscure Publications...the online version_ (April 15). (Available on the Internet from obscure@csd4.csd.uwm.edu, at the University of Wisonsin, Milwaukee). Sabin, R. (1993). _Adult comics: An introduction_. London: Routledge. Sacco, J. (1993). _Palestine #1 & #4_. Seattle, WA: Fantagraphics Books. Shelton, G. (1985). _Underground classics 1: The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers No. 0_. Auburn, CA: Rip Off Press. ----------. (1991). _The collected adventures of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers_, (20th Anniversary Ed.). Auburn, CA: Rip Off Press, Inc. -page 146- Tipton, V. (1993). "Angry readers speak up when gay teen comes out." _St. Louis Post-Dispatch_, (April 15, Five Star Ed.):1A. Tuman, M. (1988). "Class, codes, and composition: Basil Bernstein and the critique of pedagogy." _College Composition and Communication_, 39(1):42-51. Vachss, A. (1992). _Hard looks: Number one_. Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse Comics. Villanueva Jr., V. (1991). "Considerations for American freireistas." In R. Bullock & J. Trimbur (Eds.), _Politics of Writing Instruction: Post Secondary_, (pp.247-262). Portsmouth, NH: Boynton & Cook. -----------------. (1992). "Hegemony: From an organically grown intellectual. _PRE/TEXT_ 13(1-2):18-34. Waugh, C. (1991). _The comics_. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi. Wertham, F. (1953). _Seduction of the innocent_. New York: Rinehart & Co. Whitlark, J. (1988). _Illuminated fantasy: From Blake's visions to recent graphic fiction_. Rutherford: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. "Why Study Popular Culture and the Mass Media?" (1993). (Editorial). _Popular Culture Association Newsletter_, (March):1. Wiater, S. & Bissette, S. (Eds). (1993). _Comic book rebels_. New York: Donald I. Fine. Witek, J. (1989). _Comic books as history_. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi. -page 147- A Short Story: An Unconventional Way to Teach and Report Prison Research [1] by J Forbes Farmer, Ph.D. Franklin Pierce College Chair of the Division of Behavioral Sciences Professor of Sociology/Social Work A. Introduction A year ago after completing an extensive investigation into the effects of "unit management" on inmates and prison staff, I discovered that my students were only politely interested in the formality of the quantitative results and theoretical analyses. They were, however, genuinely excited about, and visibly intrigued by, the unpublished vignettes I offered concerning the lives and circumstances of the people I had interviewed. It was interesting that, through these stories, students began to ask if, and why, some American prisons could really be such bastions of neglect and tradition that advancements in criminal justice policy and modern technology often seemed to pass them by. Did the answer lie in the prison culture? Should prison management be blamed? Or the legal system? Or the American economy? Could the answer be found in some complex combination of many factors? Students also wondered how a social scientist could ever discover the "truth" when so many seemingly different versions of reality, such as those of staff and inmates, could be told. Lively debates ensued in class primarily because the actors and events in the prison setting were humanized in the stories. It was to continue trying to interest students in studying criminal justice that I wrote the following fact-based short story which was inspired by inmate and prison staff accounts collected during the aforementioned project. B. The Story "Frozen in Time" Officer Ben Johnson knew the evening shift was about up as he shivered in the artificial light outside a neglected brick building and then ducked into the guards' room at Colgate State Prison, a medium-security facility in Massachusetts. He shook the snow off his cap, removed his stiff gloves, blew into his aching hands, and inserted two -page 148- quarters into the coffee machine. Johnson looked up as he sipped from his steaming cup; it was ten by the old brass clock. "Only one and a half hours to go," he sighed and thought of his pregnant wife and two-year-old son sleeping warmly in their duplex apartment twenty minutes away. The guards' room, with its green walls and black linoleum floor, used to be the medical staff's lounge thirty-five years ago when the building overflowed with state mental patients. Although uninviting, the room was clean; inmates mopped and waxed between the eight and eleven o'clock counts every morning. On this frigid January evening the radiators steamed, and the cap and gloves that Johnson had dropped on the oak bench soaked in melted snow. From the window he saw snow swirling around the prison floodlights and a partially decomposed, frozen owl swaying upside down from the razor wire at the top of the perimeter wall. Deep inside F building three cons whispered in their sweltering cell. George Stockton was commonly referred to by the staff as the state's con because he had been in and out of incarceration since he was thirteen, beginning with several stints in reform schools that were closed in the early 1970s. He was serving a life sentence for two murders committed during a bank robbery twenty-three years ago. By now he was conditioned to prison regularities and resigned to defending himself for life in Colgate - - or a minimum joint if the Massachusetts public ever forgot Willie Horton, whose infamous weekend furlough closed down minimum-security options for all state lifers. Stockton's cell mate of five years was Corbin Riley, a powerhouse with a large head and long golden-brown hair. He had begun adult life as a well-paid computer programmer, a job he snared while a senior at Holy Cross. Riley had been enjoying the materialistic pleasures of the middle class; he had a $1,200-a-month white colonial four bedroom house on the eighth fairway of the Weston Country Club, a $450-a-month red Porsche and a $50-a-month 52-inch TV. He also had a gorgeous, live-in woman whom he was surprising with a Chinese combination takeout lunch when he found her in their bed with his neighbor and regular racquetball opponent. Convicted of murdering his friend while his woman ran screaming naked onto the fairway, Riley, like Stockton, had bought a life bid without parole. Riley was bitter. His trust in the legal system had taken an icy plunge when his ivy-league lawyer screwed up a temporary insanity plea, took him for $45,000 in fees, and then lived with his woman for a year after the trial. Moments before Officer Johnson entered the guard's room, Peter Tully completed a transfer from Lenox to Colgate; in handcuffs and leg shackles, he had swayed for three hours in the cold rear compartment of a Department of Corrections van -page 149- as it skidded over icy routes 90 and 495. He felt hungry, tired, afraid, angry, and marooned as correctional officers startled Stockton and Riley, who were reading on their cots. "Make way for a new roommate," yelled one of the officers. Stockton and Riley used to have single cells, but pressured by overcrowding the administration risked tipping the delicate balance of prison life and packed them together into a cell built for one. A third cot was in there, too, which left a three-by-six-foot area for cramped pacing. As much as Stockton and Riley hated being doubled or tripled up at all, what they hated worse was sometimes having to share their tiny home with a young drug punk or a "skinner," a con in for sex crimes. Stockton and Riley often laughed about how they could smell the rancid smell of skinners a mile away. Twelve hours earlier Tully had been sexually assaulted at Lenox State Prison. Cops had rushed him to Lenox immediately after his sentencing for killing a female co-worker at Women's Flats in the Burlington Mall, where he agonized over ill-fitting shoes and impatient women. Three elderly nuns trying on shoes for their first trip to the Vatican and dozens of "mallers" returning Christmas gifts had witnessed Tully's loud argument and subsequent knife jabs to his colleague's stomach. Inexperienced staff at Lenox had foolishly assigned the diminutive, first-time offender to share a cell with a beast who attacked fifteen minutes after the guards had left them alone. Tully's screams saved him from total humiliation. Adding to his abuse tonight was the incessantly talkative female driver who should have kept her moral lecture to herself and paid more attention to the slippery roads and poor visibility than to Tully's well-publicized murder trial. "No man likes to be talked down to by a woman," Tully angrily whispered to his new cell mates as he made his cot and related selected portions of his crime and the maniacal flight over the icy roads. "Whether women pay now or later, they pay." Stockton and Riley did not like hearing this. They had rank, reputation, and prison status, and stood up for the "weaker sex," as they insisted on calling women. "Don't mess with the women here," warned Stockton. "The screws will make YOU pay behind the door, if you get my drift. And they'll deny it, of course." "They wouldn't dare," announced Tully, taken aback by Stockton's warning and cocky about his lawyer's ability to protect him. Tully listened, though. He was beginning to feel rather fortunate; it was better to be lectured to, or even yelled at, than to be physically attacked. -page 150- "George is right," yawned Riley, spooked by this interruption of his peace and caring little for the kid's well-being. "The cops start the fights ninety-nine percent of the time. They do it to get disability you know. And they're all in it together, looking for the time off and the extra dough. The other cops don't even stop it when they see another cop beating you up." "It's all part of the prison game," continued Stockton. "They treat you like a dog, and if you retaliate, if you come back at them, then Bingo! It's their union-job security." "You can't even file a grievance against them," agreed Riley. "You've got to stay out of their face. It does no good because they all stick together. They're crooks, too. They stole money from me and I could prove it, but they'd rip up my library card and stop my visits if I tried." "Filing a grievance is like writing to yourself," said Stockton, who chose not to comment on Riley's financial loss. "Besides, I ain't no snitch. I keep to myself, work a job, and do my own time." Riley sensed a sadness in Stockton's voice. Riley knew that since Stockton had come to Colgate over twenty years ago, he had tried, unsuccessfully, to contact his parents. They had apparently moved away to start a new life after he, their only child, got a life sentence. Stockton's only contact outside of prison was regular correspondence with two teachers, now retired and elderly, who he had in reform school years ago. Riley was uncomfortable. He got off his cot, stretched his muscular arms out in front of his chest, contracted his hands like a cat sheathing its claws, and then slowly lowered his arms. He adjusted his white boxers and walked to the window that was open just enough that the snow couldn't get in; most inmates on this second floor had their windows similarly open, which was probably why the heat was running so hot. Riley thought of seconding Stockton's warning for this raw kid to do his own time without getting in anyone's space, but instead he just gazed beyond the window bars and out over snowy no-man's land between F building and the wall. He stared at the frozen owl hanging from the razor wire. He and Stockton had seen the bird get caught after lock-up on one of those hot, mosquito nights last July; they had watched it struggle and die. They examined it as closely as they could without entering no-man's land, where they could get shot. All August they watched it bake in a cloud of flies. All fall they watched it turn black. A million times they had talked about the bird and the lazy unionized staff; it wasn't in anyone's job description to take the thing down. "You're on your own, Kid," said Riley as he poured tepid water from a white plastic pitcher into a blue plastic cup -page 151- that he took off the cramped single shelf in the cell. Occupying every inch on the remainder of the shelf were two toothbrushes, a tube of Colgate toothpaste, a hot plate, a small covered pot, a can of LaChoy fried rice, a soap box and a pump bottle of Jergens' Advanced Therapy skin lotion. He returned the pitcher to its place on the floor under the shelf and nestled back on his cot. "It's a jungle in here, and you have to watch your ass. The administration doesn't listen to us and neither do the classification and parole people. No matter how hard you bust your hump to please them, the Boston office and the staff here could care less. We all become a forgotten number." "The staff here don't give you good-time earned either," agreed Stockton. "They lie about your moves to minimum and blame someone downtown." Riley wanted to go back to his reading, but he was both disturbed by Tully's intrusion into his peace and space, and, at the same time, happy to vent at someone new, someone controllable. "Kid, this place is a playpen for snitches, scum-of-the-earth rapists and crazies, and was built to destroy your identity." Riley heard a jailhouse lawyer in the law library come out with that, and he agreed with it. Everyone in the library had laughed, even the cops. Tully did not. "Ain't no privacy either," complained Stockton. "Cons coughing all over you, inspecting you in the shower, stealing your personal stuff, and wanting to read your mail. Staff videotape your visits and listen in with hidden bugs. There's never enough food, and they overcook the slop anyway. It's hell living in this dirty, roach- and rat-infested, overcrowded hole." "What's that smell?" asked Tully who had noticed it when he first entered the cell but worried about his safety and new cell mates and feared asking. "It's our pack-a-potties," grinned Riley. "Look under your bed; you've got one, too. Just keep it there with a cover over it; let it sizzle. As you can see, we don't have any plumbing here in the Colgate Ritz. None of the suites in this hotel have any sinks or toilets. No sink. No throne. We empty the potties into a bin down the hall every morning. We stand in line with the flies and our little stinking treasures and after the dumping the con with the least seniority, that'll be you in a few hours, gets to scrub the bin and mop the corridor floor with Mr. Clean. You're in for the pigpen deluxe, Sweet Treat. We aim to please and serve you with a smile." "The cops think they can boss you around," said Stockton. -page 152- "They're always bringing up your crimes and putting you down for what you did and should have done. What they'd have done if they'd been you, you know." "And they laugh about your life," added Riley, who thought of the cops riding him about his kind-hearted, unflappable, cellist father. He pictured his seasonally frenetic mother, who had sexually abused him, and finally died of cervical cancer. He thought of the $23,000 his father was helping him pay back to Holy Cross while other cons were getting a free education through college-extension programs. "Yup. Their job is to guard you, not judge you and punish you," agreed Stockton. "They played with my mail today. I stood in line for an hour in the damn snow, too. `Sorry, Georgie boy, no mail today,' they told me. After chow tonight the screw comes up and says they found a package for me and I can get it tomorrow." Riley, who was staring at the snow blowing now through the open window, yawned again and reflected, "This place is a disgrace. I slipped in the shower today on the slimy concrete. I even had my flip-flops on." "Do they have TV here?" asked Tully, who wasn't a big talker and wished these guys would shut up. He wondered what he'd said or done to bring on this crap. "Sure, in the rec room, but you can't hear with all the cons talking," said Stockton. "I'm telling you, we get no peace. Too many skinners, druggies and lazy staff. At least with cons you know where you stand. The staff is totally out of control." "They suck money from the public till," added Riley as he arched his back and adjusted his twisted boxers again. "They sit around drinking coffee, telling jokes, figuring out ways to get overtime and smuggle steaks out of the kitchen, nosing about our business." "You ain't never going to get out of here," dropped Stockton with unalterable conviction. Maybe tomorrow Stockton would talk to Tully about how crooked politicians and some rich folk get away with behaviors he believed were far more destructive to the social fabric than robbery and unintended death. "We could move to minimum," said Tully lacking confidence and sounding rather prematurely connected to these new cell mates. Flushing, he looked first to Riley and then to Stockton for a response and wished he hadn't said "we." Riley said nothing but sent an icy stare right through -page 153- Tully. Stockton shook his head and said, "Don't bet on it. They always deny you moves to lower. They're praying for a riot like at Attica or Santa Fe so they can shoot us, gas us, or bus us bare-assed to Oxford, Wisconsin, in the middle of the freezing night. The deputy knows I got enemies here. This place ain't safe. They promised us, me and Riley, a move to the minimum farm, but lied. Two of my friends were assaulted last night. Johnson did it, the new night cop. No record of course. They don't respect us. Another cop stole a $300 leather jacket from me. They don't say nothing or do nothing about it." Two or three minutes passed in silence. Some snow still blew through the open window and the cell radiator kept pounding out the heat. Riley lay quietly on his cot and watched Tully figure out where on the cramped shelf he could put the newly issued unwrapped soap that he held in his left hand. Tully had his right hand on the skin lotion when Riley eased off his cot and with one silent spring stood poised and glaring at him. "Hey!" he yelled in Tully's ear. Tully chilled and focused his frightened eyes on Riley's broad nose just inches away. "Don't mess with our stuff." The snow swirled faster now around the floodlights, and the frozen owl knocked against the razor wire. Officer Johnson stood over the wastebasket in the guards' room and, like a bombardier, dropped his paper coffee cup dead center; he adjusted his wet cap and soggy gloves, tightened his coat collar, and braced through the wind and five inches of new snow towards G building, his next to last security stop. The second floor was nothing but locked offices and a central space full of secretarial desks, typewriters, Xerox and shredding machines. The first floor was just storage rooms crammed with old bureaus, cot springs and mattresses that he figured the mental patients had used. When he got to the basement, Johnson held the guard's massive key ring tightly in his hand and smashed it against a steel door that had "KITCHEN" stenciled on it in dark green paint. In the three months that he had worked at Colgate, he learned that this key-smashing ritual usually scared away the large rats that came out to play when all was quiet. The kitchen cons, with cop approval, brought cats in once, but the rats ate them. He opened the door and paused. In the warm basement kitchen, lit only by a bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling, Johnson watched two rats scamper through a stainless steel dishwasher, drop to the concrete floor, and disappear through a gnawed hole in the wooden door to the potato bin. "Damn!" Officer Johnson retreated from the basement and locked the kitchen and G building doors behind him. He squinted to keep out the piercing snow as he strode into the yard and fresh cold air towards F building. He hoped he'd find the cons in this building quiet tonight. Last night he had to -page 154- confiscate some homemade hooch and break up a fight between two drunken cell mates. Johnson wished he had time during his security rounds to get to know the cons. He heard, above the wind, a rhythmic knocking and slowly turned until the frozen owl came into focus. "Someone ought to take that down," he thought as he turned back towards F building, where he had to count ninety-three living bodies before he could card out, go home, take a hot shower, and snuggle up to his sleeping wife. C. Concluding Remarks I know of no scholarly and professional criminal justice journal, except this one, which is open to publishing the kind of fact-based fictional account represented by the preceding story. The unfortunate result is that criminologists often miss out on resources that really pique the interest and imagination of students. Many questions, such as those that follow, can be asked about the story; the questions are useful in stimulating focused discussion and debate on several criminal justice issues. How would you respond to Stockton's and Riley's complaints about prison life? If their complaints were true, how would you explain why they occur and what would you do about them if you were the prison superintendent? If you were Officer Johnson? Do you think Stockton and Riley have lied to Tully? To what extent does prison life, as depicted in this story, reflect American values? What are Tully's chances of psychological and physical survival? Do you agree with Stockton's belief that "crooked politicians and some rich folk get away with behaviors far more destructive to the social fabric than robbery and unintended death?" Why might some murderers, like Stockton and Riley, think they are better people than rapists and other sex offenders? Do you think they are? What factors seem to contribute to the inmate social structure? What elements of the prison structure contribute to the inmate culture? Explain any symbolism you see in the frozen owl. How realistic is the situation described in this story? How can a prison in the mid-1990s get away with having rats in the kitchen and no plumbing in inmate cells? Explain how prison life may, indeed, be delicately balanced. How should prison officials deal with overcrowding? Do you think correctional officers are as unaffected by inmates as Stockton and Riley would have us believe? If so, why? There are certainly no simple answers to any of these questions, but the questions represent a broad range of criminal justice issues that always need to be addressed. Additionally, I believe that social scientists occasionally, through research, leave the seeds for the research sites to become better off than when they were entered. I hope this -page 155- was the case with the prisons where I interviewed and surveyed 149 staff and 442 inmates who, for the most part, spoke out without fear of retaliation. The prison superintendents have already seen the quantitative results of my study. I await word that permission was granted by the Department of Corrections for the prison librarians to share my short story with the courageous respondents. In any event, it may even be that my particular story informs and supports a larger generalization. ENDNOTE 1. Special thanks to the Florence and Daniel Guggenheim Foundation for funding the prison research project that inspired this story. -page 156- Elias, R. (1993). _Victims still: The political manipulation of crime victims_. Newbury Park: Sage. There is an exciting new vocabulary sure to make teaching more interesting. "Media amnesia," "negative peacekeeping," "crime story recycling," the "violence of poverty," and others are discussed by Elias in what should be considered a basic introduction to victimology text. Elias writes in a logical, common sense, easy-to-read style that will give students the fundamentals that they need to explore fully the "other side" of victimology. The author starts at the root -- initial assumptions about crime and criminals. He points out flaws in definitions and images that create problems in interpretation that are only distorted and exploited by the media. The major contribution of this work is that it creates a "square one" for the student to begin studying victimization. There is an excellent summary of victims' programs across the U.S. and the broader social movements that indirectly influence macro victimization issues (i.e., sexism, racism). The work includes a good summary of important legislation and a chronology of funding sources. The critical perspective of the book challenges the American status quo in victimology, raising serious questions about our narrow focus compared to international concepts of victimization. The consequences of such a limited outlook appear to be a long history of anemic and bulemic policy agendas. Elias holds a mirror to these policies and allows students to see them for what they really are. It is not a pretty sight. Some of the discussions you will want to have with your students are as follows: a) the conflict between creative sentencing and predictable, uniform sentences -- what do we want? In our society, particularly in our discipline, we fluctuate on the desirability of mandatory anything. Victims, like offenders, are all different and mandatory restitution may not be appropriate in all cases. Aahh, the "M" word; ironically perhaps, the author uses it in both a discussion of the problems and the solutions. b) the process of creating victims -- how changes in laws may create a group of victims who are "railroaded" through the criminal justice system with less protections, using lower levels of proof. Students should explore why victims' movements have become associated with the rhetoric of anti-rights and tough punishments. Is it part of the nature of the victim to just accept every "benefit" that is -page 157- thrown their way by the political establishment ? Is it beyond the ability of victims to pick and choose only those enactments that directly and logically improve their station in life? Should victims write legislation? (The California "Three Strikes" legislation was authored by a murdered girl's father). If not, then why is it alright for politicians pandering to victims to do so? Along the same lines, can we tell if the media has taken a position in support of such legislation? Students should be aware of the politics of the "sound bite" and Elias provides a substantial appendix of news articles that students can interpret for themselves. Recognition of the underlying policy motives of the media is a healthy accomplishment for students; the earlier in their careers, the better. c) the notion of being "victimized by the environment" -- while a logical concept to criminologists (particularly anyone who has read Mikal Gilmore's _Shot in the Heart_) -- is not politically popular. The public seems to have developed a strict "No Excuses" frame of mind ("guns don't kill people"). Despite the state's inability to obtain a conviction, few really feel sorry for the Menendez brothers. People are frustrated with victimization as an "excuse" perhaps because it greys the separation between good guys (white hats) and bad guys (black hats). The average person's preference for clear-cut distinctions demonstrates how difficult it is for anyone to understand the realities of crime -- that in many cases victims and offenders sit on a continuum separated only by degrees of guilt. Remember how fast we dumped Ellie Nessler as a victimized mother folk-hero once it was reported that she had a "drug history?" Try this at home, the same people who see crimes as having clearly distinctive offenders and victims also subscribe to theories about the "cycle of violence" -- how is this so? d) the case study Elias provides on the drug war as a victimizing policy provides students with an excellent example of "how to" analyze something we may take for granted in one context (e.g., a law enforcement or drug issues class) in an alternate framework -- victimology. Students should be encouraged to take other policies and critique them from a victimological perspective. This book is excellent for students and for anyone preparing to teach a course in victimology. Otherwise, scholars may be somewhat put off by the lack of data or -page 158- research to support the various arguments ("Mainstream law enforcement has met criminal violence with a massive barrage of official violence" or "For those who remain in prison, the experience should be made productive; otherwise, more rather than less crime will result" or "Most prisoners initially are not a threat to society, but they become increasingly dangerous the longer they are imprisoned."). While plenty of writers in this area are cited, which is beneficial for students, their works are not analyzed or critiqued in any meaningful way. The last two chapters are somewhat repetitious, reiterating material from earlier sections. Overall, I would award the book a three on the gavel scale for its insight and its refreshing approach to the study of criminal justice policy. Thoughtful study of the political manipulation of crime victims should be only the beginning. This perspective should also be applied to many other areas, including analyses of crime data, research organizations, juvenile interventions, and, oh yes, crime bills. Marilyn D. McShane California State University, San Bernardino Criminal Justice Department -page 159- SUBMITTING REVIEWS AND MANUSCRIPTS: Authors may submit reviews and manuscripts written in ASCII format to _JCJPC_ in two ways. First reviews and manuscripts may be sent electronically to: The Editors, _Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture_, SUNYCRJ@ALBNYVM1.BITNET or SUNYCRJ@UACSC2. ALBANY.EDU. Alternatively, reviews and manuscripts may be sent via regular mail to The Editors at the University at Albany's address which can be found below. 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