Maripat McGlynn
Deviance is anything that goes against the standards of a society or norm. Deviance varies from things such as crime and alcoholism to simply being late for class or being overweight. Deviance also varies from culture to culture. Things such as being overweight and unattractive are not accepted in the United States. But in other cultures being plump is highly regarded and wearing any kind if makeup is considered deviant. In the US we are ruled by our laws and they are what teaches our society what is deviant or accepted. For instance, murdering and stealng all have serious consequences associated with them by law. Breaking this law results in jailtime. There are times, however where something that was once deviant changes into something that is socially accepted. An example is tattoo's. Tatoo's were once considered deviant and society labeled people with tattoos as bad, immoral humans. Nowadays almost everyone in my generation has a tattoo if not a whole sleeve. It is becoming the new norm and is considered a form of art and expression. Gays and lesbians are also becoming more and more accepted into our soceity. These days the information about homosexuals are coming out and more people are speaking up about their sexuality with pride and confidence. It is becoming so common that society barely acknowledges it as abnormal anymore. Ten years ago this acceptance was dramatically different. Over the past few years states have allowed gays and lesbians to marry. This practice will soon become a norm just like a marriage between a heterosexual couple.
Deviance is anything that goes against the standards of a society or norm. Deviance varies from things such as crime and alcoholism to simply being late for class or being overweight. Deviance also varies from culture to culture. Things such as being overweight and unattractive are not accepted in the United States. But in other cultures being plump is highly regarded and wearing any kind if makeup is considered deviant. In the US we are ruled by our laws and they are what teaches our society what is deviant or accepted. For instance, murdering and stealng all have serious consequences associated with them by law. Breaking this law results in jailtime. There are times, however where something that was once deviant changes into something that is socially accepted. An example is tattoo's. Tatoo's were once considered deviant and society labeled people with tattoos as bad, immoral humans. Nowadays almost everyone in my generation has a tattoo if not a whole sleeve. It is becoming the new norm and is considered a form of art and expression. Gays and lesbians are also becoming more and more accepted into our soceity. These days the information about homosexuals are coming out and more people are speaking up about their sexuality with pride and confidence. It is becoming so common that society barely acknowledges it as abnormal anymore. Ten years ago this acceptance was dramatically different. Over the past few years states have allowed gays and lesbians to marry. This practice will soon become a norm just like a marriage between a heterosexual couple.
This just goes to show that society can change their norms. What was once deviant can become normal because humans have a tendency to conform. If enough people believe in something the rest of the group will follow. There are many things that will forever be deviant and not soundly moral such as murder. There is a place in this world for social control and consequences for deviant behavior but there are plenty of things in our society that we do not accept that should be recognized. Although there is no law against being overweight it is socially unacceptable. Most people will say that they don't mind whether someone is overweight or not but subconsciously people in the United States view it as a very bad thing. Its can even be worse than a young adult not attending college. That focus on the body being more important than anything else is severely detrimental to our society and its inhabitants psyche's.
Deviance is in every society around the world. Social control will always keep certain deviant behaviors at bay. But there are a number of issues that come with labeling certain things as deviant. Some people who have committed a crime get a label as a bad person and could possibly take on that role creating more acts of deviance. There is a real stigma associated with deviance therefore people need to be more aware and open minded when it comes to their society. Not everything is how you see it.
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