Explain what we have learned about policing through official data and Systematic Social Observation. Please describe the strengths and weaknesses of each form of data collection. How do we gain varying perspectives about policing using each method
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Understanding Policing through Official Data and Systematic Social Observation
Policing is a complex and critical aspect of society that plays a significant role in maintaining law and order. Official data and Systematic Social Observation are two key methods used to understand policing practices, each offering unique insights and perspectives. In this essay, we will explore what we have learned about policing through these methods, analyze their strengths and weaknesses, and discuss how they contribute to gaining varying perspectives on policing.
Official Data
Official data on policing generally refers to statistics and records collected by law enforcement agencies and government bodies. This information includes crime rates, arrest records, response times, demographics of those involved in criminal activities, and more. Analyzing official data provides valuable insights into crime trends, patterns, and the effectiveness of policing strategies.
Strengths of Official Data:
Reliability: Official data is collected using standardized methods, making it reliable for conducting quantitative analyses.
Consistency: Data collected over time allows for trend analysis and the identification of patterns.
Policy-making: Policymakers can use official data to inform decisions on resource allocation, crime prevention strategies, and law enforcement practices.
Weaknesses of Official Data:
Underreporting: Not all crimes are reported to law enforcement, leading to gaps in the data.
Bias: Data collection methods may be influenced by systemic biases, impacting the accuracy of the information.
Limited Context: Official data may lack the context needed to fully understand the underlying causes of criminal activities.
Systematic Social Observation
Systematic Social Observation involves direct observation of policing practices in real-world settings. Researchers may conduct field studies, participant observations, or use technology like body cameras to observe interactions between law enforcement officers and the public. This method offers a qualitative understanding of policing behaviors and their impact on communities.
Strengths of Systematic Social Observation:
In-depth Insights: Observing policing practices firsthand provides nuanced insights into officer behavior, community dynamics, and the complexities of law enforcement interactions.
Contextual Understanding: Researchers can contextualize their observations within the broader social, economic, and cultural factors influencing policing.
Ethnographic Research: Systematic Social Observation allows for immersive research experiences that can uncover hidden aspects of policing not captured in official data.
Weaknesses of Systematic Social Observation:
Subjectivity: Observations may be influenced by researcher bias or interpretation, impacting the objectivity of the findings.
Resource-intensive: Conducting field observations can be time-consuming and costly, limiting the scalability of this method.
Limited Generalizability: Findings from specific observational studies may not be applicable to all policing contexts due to variations in location, time, and other factors.
Gaining Varying Perspectives on Policing
By combining official data and Systematic Social Observation, researchers and policymakers can gain a comprehensive understanding of policing practices from multiple perspectives. Official data provides quantitative insights into crime trends, while Systematic Social Observation offers qualitative nuances on officer-community interactions. By triangulating information from both sources, a more holistic view of policing can be achieved, leading to informed decision-making and evidence-based policy development.
