The Nightmare of the West Memphis Three - 800 Words

In his article, â€Å"The Nightmare of the West Memphis Three†, Rich explores how the people of Memphis drew horrific conclusions about people based on the lifestyle they chose to practice. The article highlights the trials and tribulations faced by the accused three young teenagers. Rich does this by citing the popular documentary series â€Å"Paradise Lost† which is an in depth analysis into the lives of the accused, the victims’ families and members of the community. This paper outlines how the belief system of that time superseded the inconclusive evidence, which ultimately led to an unfair trial. By â€Å"othering† and â€Å"marginalizing† those three teens, the society and police created a scenario that aligned with their belief system at the time.†¦show more content†¦Another crucial point mentioned in the article is the power of perception and how media can often times influence perception. â€Å"One of the most powerful lessons of these films is how easily our opinions about a crime can be influenced by the manner in which information is presented to us† (Rich, 2013). An example used is that of Hobbs. Rich mentions that throughout the first film Hobbs appeared â€Å"dazed† and â€Å"ruined† over the death of his son. When they show the same footage in the third film, he looks like a man who is trying to hide something. With this new context the audience, watching began to see him in a different way. This is another way â€Å"truth† works as Professor LaFleur explained in the Fall semester. In this case, the West Memphis Three supporters sought to exonerate the accuse and accuse instead who they felt had committed the murders. The case with the backing of many celebrities and supporters gained national notoriety. Their agenda, which was blaming Hobbs, intensified in the documentary. With accusations, people who watched would begin to see Hobbs in a different light. Anybody can suppo rt a claim with the right â€Å"evidence†. This is something depicted in contemporary society and an example is the image of the â€Å"Hijab† and what it means for Muslim women. The North American media as exemplified in lecture and tutorial often depicts wearing Hijab as a kind of prison of Muslim women and as a image of the strife and sexism thatShow MoreRelatedNewspaper Headlines5807 Words   |  24 Pageswith the appearance of newspapers still popular today: â€Å"The Times†, â€Å"Manchester Guardian†, â€Å"Daily Express†, etc. newspaper reporting became more scandalous, and style and form changed to suit the new approaches . Newspapers are often divided into three main categories: broadsheet, tabloids, and Berliner or Midi . †¢ Broadsheets: These are printed on A1 and folded to A2 (600 mm by 380 mm (23 ½ by 15 inches)). Broadsheet papers are also known as the â€Å"serious† or â€Å"quality† press, generally associatedRead More The Civil Rights Movements in Ireland and America Essay4811 Words   |  20 Pagesmoment, buildings might explode and automatic weapon fire could lacerate the air on every side of us. Belfast is charming, apart from the harsh reality of guerrilla warfare and terrorism being common occurrences. For the first time, throughout my three month tour of seventeen different European countries, I feel truly threatened. The tension carries itself into a nearby pub where an old man asks â€Å"Are you jus daft? Or do ya have relatives here?† His words hinted at my grandfathers blunt, yet kindlyRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pagesarchrivals in hotly competitive arenas. Part III, Comebacks, studies three firms that faced adversity, and came back better than ever. In Part IV, Marketing Management Mistakes, we delve into seven firms guilty of a variety of mistakes that offer great learning insights. Part V, Notable Marketing Successes, offers paragons of successful marketing strategies and operations. Finally, in Part VI, Ethical Mistakes, we examine three firms whose mistakes had major ethical and legal consequences. Let