Renegade Kids, Suburban Outlaws From Youth Culture to Delinquency

by Wooden, Wayne; Blazak, Randy

• ISBN13: 9780534527549
• ISBN10: 053452754X
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-07-26
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

Offering a unique look at subcategories of delinquent youth, primarily suburban youth, Wooden/Blazak use qualitative research strategies to explore how basically good kids can move from the fringes of society to delinquent activities. Accordingly, this text investigates everything from the harmless life of the mall rat to the volatile and dangerous world of skinheads, Satanists, and tagger crews, as well as the culture in the California Youth Authority. This new edition includes more information about girls and different races, as well as the latest information about group typologies. The author quotes from the popular media to highlight his points and make conceptual material relevant to students.

Author Biography

Wayne S. Wooden (Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania) is Professor of Sociology and Coordinator of the Criminal Justice and Corrections Program at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Randy Blazak (Ph.D., Emory University) is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Portland State University where he heads The Hate Crimes Research Network.

Table of Contents

Foreword	x
Introduction to the Problem	1	(14)
At-Risk Kids	2	(1)
A Generation in Crisis?	3	(2)
What Is Youth Culture?	5	(1)
How Does One Study Youth Culture?	6	(3)
Outline of the Book	9	(1)
Renegade Kids	9	(2)
Suburban Outlaws	11	(2)
Societal Responses and Trends	13	(2)
Understanding Why Youth Become Deviant	15	(12)
Criminological and Sociological Perspectives	16	(1)
Classic American Delinquency Theories	17	(2)
British Subcultural Theories	19	(2)
Gender-Based Theories	21	(2)
Postmodern Theories	23	(4)
I RENEGADE KIDS	27	(72)
Mall Rats and Life in the Mall	29	(13)
The Malling of Suburbia	29	(1)
Shopping `Til You Drop	30	(1)
Delinquency in the Mall	31	(3)
Social Functions of Malls	34	(1)
A Day in the Life of a Mall Rat	35	(7)
Kicking Back at ``Raging High''	42	(25)
The Fostering of Low Self-Esteem	43	(2)
High School Bullies	45	(1)
Social Cliques and Youth Culture	46	(3)
Clique Structures in Four Suburban High Schools	49	(8)
The Leaders of the Pack	57	(10)
Punks and Anarchy: Changes in the Youth Scene	67	(18)
A Brief History of Punk	68	(2)
Parents of Punkers	70	(3)
Voices From the Fringe	73	(7)
Letters to the Fanzines	80	(5)
Gutter-Punks and the Lure of the Street	85	(14)
Young and Adrift	86	(1)
Pierced and Tattooed: Contemporary Youth Styles	86	(3)
Punk as Universal Rebellion	89	(10)
II SUBURBAN OUTLAWS	99	(86)
Suburban School Shooters	101	(16)
The Reality of School Gun Violence	102	(3)
Increased Fear in Schools	105	(1)
The Blame Game	106	(2)
Trying to Understand Suburban School Shootings	108	(5)
Is Culture the Cause or the Effect?	113	(4)
Tagger Crews and Members of the Posse	117	(12)
Dynamics of Tagging	119	(2)
The Proliferation of Taggers	121	(4)
Penalties for Tagging	125	(4)
Skinheads: Teenagers and Hate Crimes	129	(26)
Contemporary Teenage Skinheads	131	(13)
Recruitment of Teenage Skinheads by Racist Groups	144	(5)
Skinheads' Rules of Conduct	149	(1)
Explanations for the Rise of Such Gangs	150	(5)
Stoner Gangs and Satanic Youths	155	(30)
Running with the Home Boys	157	(1)
White Youth Gangs as Cults	158	(3)
Profiles of Stoners	161	(8)
Satanists: Devil's Children?	169	(2)
Profiles of Satanists	171	(14)
III SOCIETAL RESPONSES AND TRENDS	185	(38)
Reactions to Youthful Offenders	187	(20)
The School System Responds	189	(5)
The Mental Health System Responds	194	(2)
The Juvenile Justice System Responds	196	(4)
Reactions of Concerned Citizens	200	(7)
Generation Why?: Crisis at the Millennium	207	(16)
The Politics of Generations	208	(1)
The Demographics of Youth Culture	208	(7)
The Growing Influence of the Media	215	(8)
Final Thoughts	218	(5)
Appendix A: Methodology	223	(5)
Appendix B: Tables	228	(8)
Index	236