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| 'Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities' - The glamorous life of a criminal!!! |
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| Criminals celebrating their achievements in 'Underbelly' |
Through television dramas and movies crime has become quite popular to watch as this is what the public want to see but with these dramas and movies have also come the rise and popularity of criminals. In today’s society criminals have almost become celebrities and the media have a field day with the stories about their personal lives. Take for example, John Ibrahim, the recent drama series ‘Underbelly: The Golden Mile’ has made him into a celebrity where the media want televised interviews with him about his life. Even though the drama series is supposed to be a fictional depiction of Sydney
Another interesting character from the criminal underworld that has received several media attention is the one and only Mark Brandon Chopper Read. He has his own website with merchandise the public can purchase and has also written several crime novels about the underworld, which were quite successful. Now how does a person who has spent time in prison for robbing drug dealers, shooting other known criminals and other illegal criminal activities go on to advertise against drink driving, write novels, star in commercials against domestic violence and tour Australia with Roger “The Dodger” Rogerson for a show portraying his innocence??? In Chopper’s eyes he sees himself as never really committing a crime because all the victims of his crimes were scum criminals that the world was better off without.
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| The successful underworld figure Mark Brandon Chopper Read |
The following article sums up the point about the media misleading the public’s perceptions of crime in reality. Television series portray the criminal life as being glamorous and full of rewards when in fact it’s the complete opposite. It may be glamorous and full of excitement until you get caught and the media almost encourage youngsters to become involved in crime by reporting on this misconception about criminal life.
References
DeLisi, M 2005, Career criminals in society, Sage Publications, Inc, California.
It very true the extent to which we become fascinated with those from the underworld. It seemed when Underbelly was on TV you could not throw a stone without hitting a newspaper article, magazine article or radio discussion on the "glamour" life of the underworld.
ReplyDeleteIt becomes easy for society to overlook past behaviors, such as murder and the dealing of heavy narcotics, because they become celebrities and almost fictional characters from the public's perspective.
It does appear to be a fascinating life that would understandably be attractive to many young individuals who come from low socio-economic backgrounds. I mean you only have to watch UnderBelly the Golden Mile to see Ibriham as an almost fairytale like character who has come from a poor area to a Bondi mansion.
Its easy to watch these shows for entertainment value but the question needs to be asked of the effects this is having on vulnerable youths.