Bad Boys. Deviance.

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.

 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.

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.

Nicole Truthspoken

       Can we agree to disagree?

      When we speak of deviant behavior unacceptable social behavior thoughts appear in our mind. Society has brainwashed us to believe that if anyone acts different then what we were taught then it’s something wrong with that person.  People are doing things differently than what they did or what others imagined.  To be institutionalized for not living by society norms or values can have a positive effect, as well as a negative effect. The positive effect is that many inmates don't return, they live by the code " SCARED STRAIGHT".  Not following the law on too many occasions can get you a permanent seat behind prison walls.  Many of the inmates are expected to return to prison once they’re released.  Some inmates find it hard to live on the other side of the bricks (prison walls).  Rehabilitating prisoners whom been incarcerated for so long helps them to learn how to cope with the streets. 

      Not everyone that lives in broken down communities like it there. Yes, you have children breaking glass for fun or adults when they just want to toss trash.  Poverty stricken neighborhoods have heavy security to keep the thugs from stealing and terrorizing their own ghetto.  It's sad to say it, but if you were to go shopping in a richer neighborhood you'll notice at night when all stores are being closed store owners aren't pulling down metal shutters to keep out robbers.  Their streets aren't filled with their children's trash from snack or soda bottles laying on the sidewalk from a week ago. There really isn't any motivation in the hood.

         

     The laws that were written decades ago need to be re-written, because time has drastically changed.  We need to focus more on the younger generation, because at this critical time in our lives they are the ones who are going to make a difference for tomorrow.  Eventually the politics in the office has to step down. So our youth should be fed the correct knowledge to be able to maintain a respectfully position in the political party.

     The video speaks of building new prisons and policing the streets, which is a good thing as long as the officers doesn’t begin to be deviant themselves. Crime is everywhere, so we don’t need to lay officers off.  We need them on the streets protecting the community and the people.  Unemployment rate plays a serious role in crime. Those who don’t have what they want or need just may extort or kill someone for their belongings. Many people work hard for what they want or what they want their children to have.  It’s unfair for someone to see you with what they want and they just take it away from you.  Jealousy is a sickness and sometimes causes crimes to happen. 

     Prisons are expensive to build. So there must be money floating around to build new prisons, but not enough money to feed hungry children. Will building new prisons make society a better place or will there be more hungrier children?  More prisons means less parents at home with their families.

Brief filed in prison overcrowding lawsuit advocates the only real solution: Reduce the number of people in prison and cancel new prison construction.

To lock up these men – this is a prison gym-turned-“dormitory” in Sacramento – many of them fathers, money is being drained out of education and health care for their children, who are denied a father and breadwinner. Free ‘em all! – Photo: Max Whittaker, New York Times