I chose to use the site
http://www.madd.org/, which is for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. This website is for activism, victim services, and education, as stated on the main page of MADD. It is a very informational site as well. Mothers Against Drunk Drivers is just as it sounds, its basically a stand against drunk driving and underage drinking. The main webpage is filled with all kinds of links including laws, statistics, law enforcement, media center, underage drinking, victim services, and way to many more to list. All these links in some way or another have to do with dunk driving and underage drinking. I had never been to this site before doing this assignment. I was very surprised to go through all the different links and see all the information and statistics. It was definitely an eye opener. Drunk driving is something I think our society should take a stand against. Not only does it put the lives of the drunk drivers in jepopardy, but it also endangers everyone around them. To me this an extremely serious crime and one of the most dangerous. Drunk driving occurs all the time and I am pretty sure most people would say that at some point they have drove while under the influence of alcohol. This is a very preventable crime and I cannot say enough to how informational and important this MADD organization and website is in our society to try to prevent it. This organization has made huge strides in fighting for their cause and I know they will continue to do so. Drunk driving is a horrible act but we all know it will continue to happen, the only hope is that organizations such as MADD and people in our areas continue to try to put a stop it with the help of law enforcement.
This is a MADD comercial I found that carries a strong message.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qL6UAlBuUU
Huh, I have heard of MADD before and naturally assumed they had a website but I never thought about the organization as something that was highlighting deviance and also trying to stop the deviance at the same time. I just never really thought of it that way.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very timely post given our recent social constructionism reading. Have you been personally affected by drunk driving or is your knowledge of this crime symbolic reality? While I agree with you that drunk driving is stupid and reckless, I think the DUI punishments are a little harsh. After all texting while driving is just as dangerous (as the media constantly informs me), but carries much less negative stigma.
ReplyDeleteThis was interesting. I dont know about your statement about most people have driven drunk. But the idea behind your research is interesting. DUI is a bad thing however it depends in your point of view I guess. Is it bad only when you cause damage or injury. Or is it bad in general even if you drive drunk plenty of times and make it around with no problem.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how the issue of drunk driving has changed over the decades. MADD has been a huge influence on the way the public views drunk driving. Like we read in our social construction article, the public opinion of drunk driving has changed to where these people have become vilified. Whether or not one should feel this way towards a drunk driver is really up to one's individual perception of the crime's seriousness.
ReplyDeleteGreat example of deviant behavior. MADD has done a good job of making drunk driving a really frowned upon practice.
I can speak a little to the research on what constitutes a "legal limit." The lowering of the limit to .10 was based on the idea that the police would catch more drunk drivers (with MADD's help). However, it mainly just 'widened the net,' a policy outcome we refer to when a law/policy is passed concerning a certain group (drunk drivers) that captures people it would not have before. So, basically the people who had 2 glasses of wine and drove home from dinner are the ones that end up with DUIs and the repetitive drunks that cause accidents sometimes don't get caught..
ReplyDelete