What is your general reaction to the film, and why?
The film is quite informative about the life of zoophiles. The title is misleading as the film focuses less on the life of the Seattle man who does from his secret sexual appetite. Instead, the focus is put on the life of zoophiles as the film tries to understand the factors that led to their behavior and the aftermath.
What content in the film surprised you, and why?
I was surprised by the honesty of the “Zoos” in uncovering their secret sexual life. Even though it led to the death of their friend, the situation has not made them remorseful. Instead, they continue trying to justify their acts.
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What content in the film disturbed you, and why?
The content in the film that disturbed me the most is when the “ZOOS” justify why they are zoophiles. They view it as being normal and even try to justify it by using scientific explanations. For example, I was surprised that Coyote justified their sexual acts with the horses by saying that they possess the Asperger’s syndrome; hence, they prefer animal contact and loathe human contact. Even more disturbing is their apparent shock when other human beings, including their friends shunned them after their behavior, were uncovered. One of “Zoos,” only identified as H, laments, “We were friends for all these years, and now all of a sudden I’m no good because I love the horse?” I was disturbed that these zoophiles wanted to normalize their actions.
What is the act(s) of deviance referenced in the film? What norm does it breach?
The main act of deviance referenced is bestiality. The decision by the “Zoos” to engage in sexual acts with the horses was unusual. It broke the societal norms of ethics and morality. The norm is that creatures of the same species commit sexual acts with each other. In this case, horses do it with other horses, whereas human beings do it with each other. It was, therefore, a breach of cultural and moral societal norms that a group of men engaged in sexual acts with other horses.
Based on lecture materials and/or course reading materials, what might explain the deviance?
The deviance of bestiality was because of non-enforcement by the authorities. Even worse, the authorities could not enforce it because there were no laws in place. Non-enforcement causes acts of deviance because the authorities passively encourage some acts that should normally be wrong by taking no action against them (Marx, 1981) . At the time, bestiality was not illegal in New York. Social control was hard to enforce in this aspect because engaging in sexual acts with horses was not illegal. The members of the society with low-self-control get a chance to get sex without courtship. It is, therefore, no surprise that the law introduced by a Republican senator to make bestiality illegal passed overwhelmingly. The law ensures that deviance can be curtailed and enforced.
References
Marx, G. T. (1981). Ironies of social control: Authorities as contributors to deviance through escalation, nonenforcement, and covert facilitation. Social problems , 28 (3), 221-246.
