Essay On Claimsmaking

Claimsmakers identify little-known social problems and bring them to public light. Claimsmakers can give a voice to those who are left voiceless because of their minority status in society. Claimsmaking is an important step in the life of a social problem, providing a name to an issue that may be affecting people. However, claimsmakers can exuberate and manipulate events and create social problems; exploiting the system for their own gain. Experts are very persuasive because they are experts. In the modern western world, experts, whom have authority through years of expertise and study, are viewed as “impartial judges—their medical diagnoses or scientific findings grounded in fact.” (Best, Social Problems, 114) Although unable to directly …show more content…
Furthermore, she claims, citing Olweus on bullying, that real bullying, with real psychological and physical scarring, stems from the power differential between the aggressor and the victim. (Bazelton, Sticks and stones, 28.loc403) This definition fits the standard ‘sticks and stones’ bully who pushes around boys weaker than him, as well as the 21st century bully; who utilizes Facebook and other forms of social media to torment their victims. The documentary Bully serves as a good case study using Bazelton’s framework for bullying within schools. We see that the kids who bully Alex as bigger and tougher, where even his parents remark that “he (alex) is smaller than average, partially because of his premature birth.” (Hirsch, Bully, 2011) The repeated incidents of bullying keep occurring, both physically and verbally, this translated to Alex’s outsider standing being exuberated within the social environment of the school; because he was bullied, he acted as if he was bullied; creating a feedback loop of being labeled as different and hereby acting different and ‘awkward’ in the eyes of his peers because of systematic trauma. Alex’s case fits the framework, as well as many others documented on