Glorifying Criminals

Discussion Starters

PRE-READING WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. Why are humans so interested in criminals and crime?
2. How do some criminals profit from their crimes?
3. Why do many young people think its cool to be bad?

Life is nothing but a competition to

be the criminal rather than the victim.
Bertrand Russell

PRE-READING VOCABULARY TASK

Match the words on the left with the meanings on the right.

1. glorify
2. outsmart
3. hashtag
4. boycott
5. copycat
6. household name
7. notorious
8. brag
9. prohibition
10. serial killer

a. to avoid an organization, product, or person

as a form of protest
b. a keyword used for categorizing topics online
c. a well-known person or thing
d. famous for having a bad characteristic
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.

a person who has killed many people

a period when the sale of alcohol was forbidden
to make smarter choices than another person
to make something more visible by celebrating it
to talk about how good someone or something is

j. a person who copies another persons behavior

Glorifying Criminals
How did bad become cool?
1. Does the face of a criminal belong on the glossy cover of a magazine? According to opinion polls, many people
disagree with the glorification of criminals. The truth is that crime sells. When young, attractive, or famous people
commit crimes, the media cashes in. The media also makes money when criminals outsmart law enforcement.
Who doesnt love a good chase?
2. How far is the media willing to go to shine a spotlight on a criminal? In 2013, Rolling Stone magazine put an
accused terrorist on the cover of its magazine. Many businesses refused to sell the issue. In fact, a hashtag telling
people to boycott the magazine began trending on Twitter. What effect did this negative publicity have on sales?
Back in 1970, cult leader Charles Manson made the cover of Rolling Stone. The interviewer won an important
award for the piece. It also helped Charles Manson get more fan mail.
3. After the Colorado Theater shooting in 2012, a brother of one of the victims made a special request to the
president. He asked President Obama not to name the shooter when he addressed the nation about the tragedy. He
wanted the victims to be remembered rather than the shooter. This didnt stop the media from repeatedly
comparing the killer to a comic book character. Criminals who are nicknamed by the media often become
household names. Who can forget names like Scarface, the Black Widow, or Son of Sam? These are the criminals
that inspire copycats. Fortunately, they are also the criminals who are most likely to get caught.
4. Young people often brag about living in dangerous areas. They think its cool to have friends or relatives in gangs.
How did criminal behavior become so cool? Is the media or the entertainment industry to blame? Al Capone was a
notorious American gangster in the prohibition era. Movies, television shows, and books have been written about
him. Criminals like Capone often profit from their crimes. Would you buy a book written by a serial killer?

Copyright 2013, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms.

Glorifying Criminals
Discussion Starters

COMPREHENSION
Discuss these questions in pairs, and write the answers in your notebook.

1. According to polls, how do most people feel about the glorification of criminals?
2. Why did some businesses boycott an issue of Rolling Stone magazine in 2013?
3. What good thing can come out of the nicknaming of notorious criminals?
4. What do kids sometimes brag about?
5. Who was Al Capone?
VOCABULARY REVIEW
A. Using New Vocabulary
Use the vocabulary from page 1 to rewrite the following sentences. Underline the keyword.
1. #Boston is trending on Twitter.
2. Bonnie and Clyde were known around the world.
3. Eli always tells us that his cousin is in a gang.
4. People in New York are refusing to eat at that fast-food restaurant.
5. The movie is about a murderer who kills a bunch of neighbors.
6. Police searched for the bank robbers for ten years, but the thieves never got caught.
B. Word Forms
Look at the bold word in each sentence. Is it used as a noun, verb, or adjective? Place your answer in the blank.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

My brother always brags about how his friends beat people up. __________________
During prohibition, many gangsters sold alcohol illegally. __________________
Mass murderers often inspire copycats. __________________
The newspaper had a special feature on four notorious Chicago-based gangsters.__________________
The victims family members thought the media treated the terrorist like a celebrity. ________________

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Should radio stations and nightclubs ban music with lyrics that glorify criminal behavior?
2. Studies suggest that notorious criminals with nicknames are more likely to be caught. Is this a good enough reason to
assign a nickname to a criminal, or do you think this practice should be ended?
3. Are we more tolerant of criminal behavior because we are so used to seeing it on TV and in films?
CRITICAL THINKING
The media often uses words like mastermind or the perfect crime to describe criminals who outsmart law enforcement.
Do you think that the language chosen by the media promotes crime?

Copyright 2013, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms.

Teachers Notes
Lesson Description: Students read about the glorification of criminals. The lesson includes vocabulary review exercises,
comprehension questions, and discussion questions. IntermediateAdvanced. Time: 1.52 hours.
Tags: crime, news, media, discussion

PRE-READING WARM-UP AND QUOTE

Individual Answers. Discuss as a class or in small groups.
Discuss the quote with your students, too. What do they think it means? Do they agree with
this definition of life? You could also have students come up with their own quotes using
Life is nothing but.... Use this as a writing exercise or homework task.
PRE-READING VOCABULARY TASK
1. h
2. g
3. b
4. a
5. j

6. c

7. d

8. i

9. f

*See Discussion Starters

Teaching Guide (www.esllibrary.com/discussion) for a
variety of ways to use the reading.
Audio is available for this lesson.
Students can access the audio via
our podcast and iTunes.

10. e

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. According to surveys, most people disagree with the glorification of criminals.

2. Some businesses boycotted an issue of Rolling Stone magazine in 2013 because it featured an accused terrorist.
3. Nicknamed criminals are more likely to get caught because there is so much attention on them.
4. Kids sometimes brag about living in dangerous areas or knowing people in gangs.
5. Al Capone was an American gangster in the prohibition era.
VOCABULARY REVIEW
A. Rewrite the sentence. (New sentences will vary)
1. The hashtag #Boston is trending on twitter.
2. Bonnie and Clyde became household names around the world.
3. Eli always brags that his cousin is in a gang.
4. People in New York are boycotting that fast-food restaurant.
5. The movie is about a serial killer who murders a bunch of neighbors.
6. The bank robbers outsmarted the police for ten years.

From the editor: Spelling and

Usage Notes
This lesson shows the American
spelling of the words behavior and
neighbor. Most other Englishspeaking countries spell these
words this way: behaviour and
neighbour. Make it a challenge for
your students to find these words
in the lesson and see if they know
the alternate spellings.

B. Word Forms
1. verb
2. noun
3. noun
4. adjective
5. noun
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS and CRITICAL THINKING Individual answers.

Copyright 2013, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms.