Defining Deviance in our Society

Submitted by Christopher Getz

    Deviance is defined within the text “Sociology Matters” as “...behavior that violates any social, whether it concerns conduct or personal appearance. Some forms of deviance carry a negative social stigma, while others are more or less accepted.”

    Certainly, within this definition, we would consider racism and bigotry as deviant behavior. In fact, many argue that we have so stigmatized racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of bigotry, that even the allegation of such bias in action can be enough to condemn the accused in the eyes of the media or wider public. But interrogating this claim, we have to ask if the society at large has truly taken steps to stigmatize this form of deviance, or if some societal messages are, at best, mixed.

    Consider the case of the killing of James C. Anderson in Mississippi, this summer. Warning, the video below contains both footage of the murder of Anderson, as well as a discussion involving the use of racial slurs.

    The CNN report expresses outrage and surprise at the racially motivated murder of Mr. Anderson by white teenagers, commenting repeatedly that this is the sort of behavior one would expect in the beginning of the 20^th century, even saying that Anderson's family are shocked by a crime they could not reasonably see taking place in this day and age.

    There is, of course, no question that society has deemed this deviant behavior. Those who committed the crime have been arrested and charged, with one of the teenagers-- thought to be the leader of the group-- charged with murder and Hate Crimes. Clearly, the message of this is that society deems not just murder, but racially-motivated crimes, to be “deviant”.

    However, it is not simply an isolated largely white community that has socialized these teenagers. Were that the case, we could simply point an accusatory finger at the offending community, parents, or church that encouraged or justified violent behavior against Blacks. But our society, which extends well beyond such a confined space as Rankin County, Mississippi where these teenagers lived, also socialized these teenagers, and sent coded messages that formed and influenced their worldview, beliefs, and, ultimately, their crime.

    It is worth noting, beyond as a tragic case of adding insult to injury, that the state of Mississippi denies Mr. Anderson's same-sex partner the right to join the wrongful death lawsuit filed by his other family members. The couple have adopted and are raising a four year old daughter together, but under Mississippi law, they are not considered a “true” family and afforded the rights of a heterosexual couple with children. Seemingly, Mr. Anderson and his partner's relationship was considered, to some degree, deviant within the state of Mississippi.

    Similarly, Mississippi, was the last state to recognize the 13^th Amendment to the US Constitution banning slavery within the United States. Originally ratified in 1865 as the first of the post-Civil War Reconstruction Amendments, Mississippi rejected the amendment, as did New Jersey, Delaware, and Kentucky. New Jersey was the first to reverse their decision the following year, Delaware followed suit in 1901. In the 20^th century, only Kentucky and Mississippi refused to ratify the Amendment. Finally, in 1976 Kentucky reversed its earlier position, however, Mississippi would wait until 1995 to follow suit.

    So, although the violent crime which killed James C. Anderson would and is clearly labeled deviant behavior by our society, so too was Mr. Anderson's very life. He lived in a state which considered his relationship deviant, and stated-- regardless of how subtly or implicitly in their laws-- that Mr. Anderson's very freedom from involuntary slavery was only recently considered to be a social norm and not, in and of itself, a deviance. Considering the role that such subtle and often unremarked upon socialization has on the perpetrators of such violent hate crimes may help us to better understand what it is that our society considers truly deviant and how we socialize our youth to accept our values.