Pit Bull Panic

Cohen, Judy; Richardson, John M.

doi:10.1111/1540-5931.00007

Cited by 39 publications

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“…One study of every New York Times article published between 1987 and 2000 on pit bull owners, for example, found that they consistently portrayed such individuals as thuggish and unsympathetic (Cohen and Richardson 2002). Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, a 2000 study found that some pit bull owners intentionally misrepresent their dogs' "breed" in order to avoid the stigma associated with it (Twining, Arluke and Patronek 2000).…”

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confidence: 99%

The Dangerous Individual('s) Dog: Race, Criminality and the ‘Pit Bull’

Tarver¹

2013

Culture, Theory and Critique

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Though it is generally acknowledged that there is a relationship between racist discourse and the figure of the non-human animal, this relationship is almost always assumed to be analogical: oppressed groups are compared with or treated as non-human animals. But the recent dogfighting case against NFL Quarterback Michael Vick and the attendant suspicion of 'pit bulls' suggests that racism today has a more complex relationship with (certain types of) animals than the analogy would capture. An analysis of this discourse both calls for and revises Foucault's notion of 'the dangerous individual' as an explanatory concept for contemporary racism. The concomitant revulsion toward both dogfighting and 'pit bulls' suggests an expression of fear of a perceived threat to normative whiteness, insofar as these 'dangerous' dogs are figured as carriers of the contagion of racial abnormality.

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The Dangerous Individual('s) Dog: Race, Criminality and the ‘Pit Bull’

Tarver¹

2013

Culture, Theory and Critique

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“…Kalof & Iliopoulou (2011) discuss the role of the media in perpetuating the legend of the aggressive urban pit bull dog. Until the Vick case, the mass media rarely considered the fighting dog a victim of the human abuse of the human-animal bond, with news reports emphasizing certain "fighting" breeds as evil predators who are unpredictable and attack without discretion (Cohen & Richardson, 2002). Based on a review of articles on pit bulls published in the New York Times between 1987 and 2000, Cohen and Richardson (2002, 287) documented that over one-third covered pit bull attacks on people, effectively validating the negative reputation of pit bull dogs.…”

Section: The Front Stage Of Dogfighting: Hip-hop Culture Drugs Crimmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In other words, "the Pit Bull is made the scapegoat for the sins of (his) owners" (Kaspersson, 2008, 216). Pit bull dogs are in reality extremely people-oriented and loyal (Cohen & Richardson, 2002;Gibson, 2005), even after having suffered untold abuse. Indeed, it is their fierce loyalty and gentleness toward humans that make pit bulls desirable for dogfighting: he is a dog who is well known for his willingness to take substantial abuse and neglect but remain faithful and nonaggressive toward his owner (Gibson, 2005).…”

Section: The Front Stage Of Dogfighting: Hip-hop Culture Drugs Crimmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the observations of urban communities around Detroit, organized dog fights were racketeering activities-business ventures that draw a cross section of spectators from the middle class, the working class, the wealthy and the street culture, and Detroit urban residents live in constant fear of pit bull dogs. This fear is exacerbated by urban legends, media portrayals of vicious dog attacks, and increasing violence in urban areas (Cohen & Richardson, 2002). However, Kalof & Taylor (2007) noted that while some folks spoke candidly about their fear of aggressive dogs, they were also aware that the dogs were carefully trained for fierceness, and one informant argued that denouncing the aggressive dogs was similar to blaming the victim.…”

Section: The Front Stage Of Dogfighting: Hip-hop Culture Drugs Crimmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Animal Blood Sport: A Ritual Display of Masculinity and Sexual Virility

Kalof

2014

Sociology of Sport Journal

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Blood sport-the practice of pitting animals against each other (or against humans) in bloody combat to the death-is a tragic form of human entertainment that has been resilient since antiquity. While animal blood sport is a form of human driven sport related violence that involves the abuse and suffering of other animals (Young 2012), it also provides an "identity prop" (Dunning 1999): all male competitive sports and games provide men with a way to demonstrate masculinity by feminizing opponents (Dundes 1997). This theoretical argument has not been systematically analyzed in the sociology of sport, and my essay is an attempt to fill that gap. I examine animal blood sport with a focus on its connection to the validation of masculinity and heterosexuality.Le sport sanglant-la pratique de faire s'affronter des animaux les uns contre les autres (ou contre des humains) dans un combat sanguinaire à mort-est une forme tragique de divertissement humain qui persiste depuis l'antiquité. Alors que le sport sanglant animal est une forme de violence sportive dont les humains sont à l'origine et qui implique l'abus et la souffrance d'autres animaux (Young, 2012), il fournit aussi un « référent identitaire » (Dunning, 1999) : tous les sports et des jeux compétitifs masculins fournissent aux hommes une opportunité de démontrer leur masculinité en féminisant leurs adversaires (Dundes, 1997). Cet argument théorique n'a pas été analysé systématiquement en sociologie du sport, et mon essai est une tentative de combler ce vide. J'examine le sport animal sanglant en m'attardant sur sa connexion avec la validation de la masculinité et de l'hétérosexualité.

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“…In fact, some argue that pit bulls are very people-friendly dogs and among the most loyal (and most abused) breeds in the United States (Cohen and Richardson 2002;Gibson 2005). Dogs generally are unique in their predisposition to humans (see Figure 2).…”

Section: H Hu Um Ma An Ni It Ty Y and And S So Oc CI Ie Et Ty Y 3 32 26mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Discourse of Dog Fighting

Kalof

Taylor

2007

Humanity & Society

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In this essay, we discuss dog fighting as a blood sport with a history embedded in the status-driven display of masculinity, power and violence. Based on published reports and interviews with those living and working in dog fighting neighborhoods, we show that the contemporary cultural knowledge of dog fighting is a discourse with multiple meanings: for those who pit dogs against each other, for the worried public, for those who are charged with law enforcement, and for the dogs themselves. We conclude with an argument that the discourse of dog fighting might best be approached from the perspective of green criminology with a focus on those who are most abused by the crime: the fighting dogs. REFLEXIVE STATEMENTSLinda Kalof writes for both academic and general readers on the representation of animals in western culture. Her current project is a historiography of animal imagery in blood sports and other human rituals and how those depictions are linked to the devaluation of marginalized social groups.

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Pit Bull Panic

Cited by 39 publications

References 0 publications

The Dangerous Individual('s) Dog: Race, Criminality and the ‘Pit Bull’

The Dangerous Individual('s) Dog: Race, Criminality and the ‘Pit Bull’

Animal Blood Sport: A Ritual Display of Masculinity and Sexual Virility

The Discourse of Dog Fighting

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