Do the Jena 6 Feel Accountable?
It seems that, since the Justin Barker beating, the Jena 6 have been given every opportunity to not feel apologetic or ashamed of beating an unconscious fellow classmate in December of 2006. Before I get to the essence of my article, I'd like to break this down psychologically for you (please bare with me).
Basic psychology tells us that, to reinforce behaviors, you should attach good experiences to these behaviors to make someone feel rewarded. Example 1, if a high school student makes straight A's, the parents buy their daughter a new car upon graduation. Psychologically, the daughter knows that making good grades helps her get the things she wants. This is called reinforcing positive behaviors. Conversely, Example 2, if the same high school student makes poor grades, and is promised a new car by the parents if she makes straight A's, and STILL receives the new car upon graduation, this is called reinforcing negative behaviors. Another words, despite NOT doing what the parents see as "the right thing", she still received her reward.
If you will read the eye witness statements7 associated with the Justin Barker beating, you'll see that the Jena 6 (through various means) threatened and bullied several male white students on December 4, 2008 before & after beating Justin Barker. To the vast majority of society, their actions were considered negative behaviors. It's plain to see that these negative behaviors have been REINFORCED in several ways:
1) Carwin Jones & Bryant Purvis were invited to an all-expense paid trip to the BET Music Awards2. They received a standing ovation.
2) The Jena 6 received anywhere between $250,000 & $1 million dollars in donations from supporters.
3) Jesse Ray Beard is now attending a private school in Connecticut1.
4) The Georgia High School Association granted Robert Bailey a hardship waiver, making him eligible to play football this season3.
5) All six have been implied heroes after the incident.
So, no matter what message is given to them, these actions are POSITIVE rewards for NEGATIVE behaviors. Another words, they stomped a fellow student while he lay on the ground unconscious & threatened others before and after him (negative behavior), yet have had reaped all of these POSITIVE rewards from what they did. According to Pavlov's classical conditioning, anytime you reinforce a behavior, it's very likely those behaviors will continue, whether the behaviors are positive or negative4. Another words, just as the positive behavior in Example 1 (straight A's) will most likely continue, so will the Jena 6's violent tendencies. Additionally, the person(s) who did the behavior is not likely to feel his or her actions were wrong. Evidence of this already exists:
1) None of the Jena 6 have offered an apology to Justin Barker.
2) Mychal Bell was interviewed by CNN on August 25, 2008 and his quote from the interview is "I hit him {Barker}, you know, whatever"...."You know, I walked on, I went on about my business, whatever."...."You know. Ain't anything else about it." 5 It's clear by his statement that he has no remorse for his part in the beating.
3) Bryant Purvis was arrested on February 6, 2008 for allegedly grabbing a student by the neck and slamming his head up against a bench6.
4) Carwin Jones was arrested on May 10, 2008 for simple battery. On January 24, 2008 he was arrested for a trespass-related incident8.
5) On July 9, 2008, Jesse Ray Beard was released from 16 months of house arrest for previous adjudications (convictions for a minor) before the Jena 6 incident as well as probation violations. According to his lawyer, David Utter, Beard was adjudicated in 2007 on charges of simple battery, simple assault, and simple criminal damage to property9.
Now that I've immersed you into the deep dark beyond of psychology, you are probably asking what my point is, right?
My point is that a very valuable angle of this case is not being discussed. Is it beneficial for the Jena 6 to have these positive rewards given to them? If you live by Pavlov's theory that we should reward good behaviors and punish bad behaviors, isn't it predictable that these 6 individuals will continue to resolve problems with violence because they have been rewarded for it in the past?
It is my belief that people who truly support the Jena 6 will wish for them to be punished for their actions, allowing them to learn their lesson. Of course, punishment that is considered appropriate varies greatly, depending on who you ask. Anyway, this negative experience attached to their negative behavior shows them that this is unacceptable, and will help them resolve in their minds that violence is not accepted or worthwhile. Sadly, this, in a pure sense, will never happen because of all the positive attention they have received.
It has been confirmed that five of the Jena 6 members have committed violent acts before and after the Justin Barker beating. This points to a repetitive cycle of behavior that's not likely to go away until they are taught that violence is not the answer to life's problems.
Lets hope each one of them learns this lesson before they are put away in jail for decades, as some assumed they would in the Justin Barker beating.
I think the euphoria associated with the Jena 6 case by racial activists created an issue that prevented many from discerning between someone deserving positive things and simply being a possible victim. Many may still argue that the Jena 6 deserve positive things for all of the "bad" things that have happened to them. This theory implies that someone deserves positive things just because they are a potential victim. It's highly debatable that the Jena 6 are victims, but it is almost certain that they were perpetrators. If we're to assume they deserve positive things, why doesn't Justin Barker deserve the same? Justin Barker was clearly a victim, yet has not received anything positive from the beating he received. My point here is...if one is to be completely unbiased, a clear victim deserves more positive rewards than a clear perpetrator / potential victim.
Now consider this: What if there was a black student who is friends with the Jena 6 and had the opportunity to jump in on the Justin Barker beating? He decided not to because he stopped to consider the consequences of his actions. Say he had good grades and a promising basketball career. How would this student feel about these guys, who decided to participate in the beating, yet are now doing much better than he could ever do because they were raised on a pedestal and given opportunities after committing the crime.
The question we should be asking ourselves is: What are we teaching our children by lavishing the Jena 6 with opportunities they wouldn't normally get if they wouldn't have beat an unconscious classmate?
Sources
1. Mandy Goodnight. http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/NEWS/399990227. The Town Talk
2. Abbey Brown. http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/NEWS/399990113. The Town Talk
3. http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080826/NEWS01/80826007. The Town Talk
4. Stacy Brasslau. http://www.wagntrain.com/OC/. Stacy's Wag'N Train
5. http://thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080825/NEWS01/808250305. The Town Talk
6. Howard Witt. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-jena_webfeb08,0,233491.story. Chicago Tribune
7. Joe Carter. http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/003979.html. The Evangelical Outpost
8. Abbey Brown. http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/NEWS/399990252. The Town Talk
9. Abbey Brown. http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080710/NEWS01/807100329/1002. The Town Talk
Published by From Jena
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Jena 6: Six Black Men Face Up to 100 Years Prison TimeBlack students found three nooses hanging from a whites-only tree in Jena, Louisiana, and the superintendent dismissed it as a joke. This lack of punishment started a list of p...- Jena 6 Defendant Mychal Bell Still Jailed Discusses the events leading up to the arrest of six black students in Jena, Louisiana. Raises questions about racial equality in the American justice system.
A Letter to AmericaThis article includes the issues that American history won't tell you about, specifically from the Black American standpoint.- Mychal Bell Caught ShopliftingMychal Bell was arrested in Monroe, LA for shoplifting one month after completing his sentence in the role of the Justin Barker beating in Jena, LA in 2007.
- The Jena 6 Events in Louisiana Show the True Face of Racism
- Jena 6 Update and Mychal Bell's Plea Bargain
- Televangelist Bishop TD Jakes Speaks Out About the Jena 6
- The Jena 6 Case: What the News Never Told You
- Jena 6: Is it Wrong to Expect More of Our Justice System?
- The Jena Six - Racism in Small Town Life Louisiana
- Chicago Marches to Free the Jena 6
- Three of the Jena 6 have been arrested for violent crimes since the Barker beating.
4 Comments
Post a CommentNo, it doesn't bother me at all for you to use that name, it just startled me on the Topix site....thought at first that someone was maybe maliciously posting stuff under my name, until I came here and read the article and realized that you probably weren't even the person who posted it on Topix at all (I think "Teaches in Jena" probably posted it). It was just a quick, weird moment. :-) Keep up the good work!
From Jena: I'm sorry if I've "adopted" your name. I've used this same name as well on YouTube, PursuingHoliness.com, as well as other sites. I'm originally from Jena but no longer live there.
And yes, you really have to be careful how you discuss things with this case. It created such a frenzy from the horribly biased reporting at the beginning that people think Jena is "covering up" what really happened and making excuses by presenting the facts later on. It's really not fair. If anything, we have gained a true understanding of how the media works.
Your facts are correct. Thank you.
I will decline, however, to "bare" with you. I prefer to remain clothed in polite company. :-) I will, however, "bear" with you.
I was rather startled, at first, to see your other article about the Jena 6 case posted on the Jena forum of Topix, as I have been posting there for months under the name, "from Jena". But I am glad to see someone taking the time to put this information on the internet, where hopefully people all around the country will see it and it will help to dispel the clouds of fantasy that have surrounded this debacle from the beginning.
Did you read the article that is linked to on this page about Oprah and the Jena 6? 99% fantasy. I realize that the article is a little old, but some people are probably still believing that baloney.
Thank you for this true factual article. Glad to see someone from Colorado with some common sense. i am a native of Louisiana and live in Florida. I have been thinking the same as you from the very beginning and have written some posts on some blogs about it. But no matter the screamers out scream you and It is a disgrace. The good people of Jena have been trampled and stomped on. The media is so wrong in this country and they spread this poison all over the world. The election coming up in November is about the cultural war taking place in our country, and who we are as a people will be the deciding factor.