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TA: Steve Juarez

Section 4

Goffman, Alice. 2014. On The Run Pp. 55-106 in On the Run.

Goffman takes an interesting approach in chapter three when he explains to the
readers how the police system works. Threats of arrest, threats of eviction, child custody
threats. Those are just some of the ways the police tries to get those close to suspects to
give them the answers they want. As a free country, threats should not be made in order
to achieve the desired results. While suspects should be arrested and questioned instead
of running from the police, those close to the suspects are actually innocent, most likely
law abiding citizens. They should not be forced to answers questions through threats.
Goffman also writes about the fact that the police guarantee confidentiality, however, this
is often not the case. Often times the suspects end up finding out who talked to the cops
when the trial comes. This is not how a free country, based on many important laws to
keep it in place, should function.
Heiner, Robert. 2013. Problems of the family Pp. 100-133 in Social Problems, edited
by Robert Heiner.
Heiner provides statistics and a detailed description of the history of the baby
boomers age to show that the definition and expectations of a family has changed over
the years. After World War II, the idea of a family changed. It was no longer about the
working mother, but rather about being a housewife, having multiple children, and taking
care of them. Heiner brings up the fact that families during the 1950s were also relying
on government money to keep living the life they had. It was not until the GI Bill that

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Section 4

veterans were able to support their families which enabled married women to take jobs
outside the home.