The New Orleans Saints Head Deviant

Submitted by: Loren Hall

                When one talks about deviance, he or she is referring to the breaking of social norms. These social norms can be anything from “go up on the ‘up’ escalator” to “do not talk to yourself in public and make yourself look crazy” to “do not kill other humans.” These social norms vary slightly depending on the environment one lives in. In “the streets,” it’s a social norm not to cooperate with the police at all while that may be encouraged in the suburbs. When someone engages in a deviant act, depending on the importance of the norm they are breaking, the person usually receives a negative sanction, ranging from dirty looks for the breaking of minor norms, to fines and possible incarceration for more severe cases.

            A huge story rocked the sports world this past week. Sean Payton, the head coach of the New Orleans Saints, was suspended for an entire year without pay for putting a bounty out on other players. His defense was instructed to go out and purposely injure specific opponents, knocking them out of the game, and they would get a bonus whenever they achieved their mission. This act broke a huge norm in the world of football. Safety is a top priority in this game, and they just bypassed these expectations and put players on a hit list to be taken out, mafia style.

            The punishment for Payton and his team, who was also fined $500,000 and deducted 2 picks in the upcoming draft, reflects how serious a stand society takes about breaking away from the social norm. What Payton did was clearly wrong, endangering the lives of players like this. While some deviant acts aren’t considered deviant in some circumstances, I think we can all agree that putting a bounty on a player isn’t okay, definitely not a socially acceptable act. He got what he deserved.

2 Philly Cops Arrested

By: Aydaia Hills

Deviance are actions or behaviors that violate social norms including formally enacted rules as well as informal violations of social norms. Deviance can be looked at as a threat to society and the environment that we live in. It can cause people to act out in ways that not only effect themselves but can effect the behaviors of others as well.

Can you imagine after so many years of being protected by police force they could be the ones we need to be protected from?  Well not to long ago 2 Philadelphia police officers  Sean Alivera age 31 was a 10 year veteran and Christopher Luciano age 23 had been on the force for only 3 years, were arrested after attempting to rob an undercover narcotics officer.They tried to steal 20 pounds of marijuana that was a $24,000.00 street value and $3,000 cash from the guys they were arresting. Both cops were in full uniform planning an undercover sting operation. They planned to redistribute the drugs using a street dealer. Both cops were caught and suspended with attempted to be dismissed from the force. 



In today's society thing have really changed. We never had to worry about cops trying to rob drug dealers but we did have cops beaten people, that never changed. Police officers are suppose to protect and serve for us. Why should we be paying our tax dollars for them if their not doing their jobs. No one should have to worry about a police officer robbing them. they are suppose to keep us from fearing people and allow us to be able to walk in our neighborhoods with no worries. These cops really showed us that anyone can be in the act of deviance.

Man Punches Teenage Girl !! Deviance

Yahne' Coleman

Deviance


Deviance goes against the norms of society and staying away from the normal rules of society . Deviance can range from anything like coming to class late , stealing food , fighting and even changing your daily routine . Anything from the normal is deviance . Most forms of deviance have many negative results.There's formal and informal deviance , formal is breaking the law and informal is breaking minor informed norms . We always have label theory of deviance which is a symbolic interaction perspective . Deviance in simplest form is being a rebel to the rules society has set for us to follow.

In this video the man claims he was in front of the McDonalds line and that the young girl had busted in front of him . As you can see they seem to exchanged some heavy words. He got so upset that he actually punched the girl several times in the face . She had to be in her early teens and yet that did not have any effect on him . As she failed to the floor you see a younger girl runs over to her help , he also pushed the younger girl . Once he was done beating on the young girl he grab his kids and fled the McDonalds .This is a perfect example of deviance because so many norms are being broken . He as the adult should had defuse the situation but instead he added heat to the situation by arguing with the young girl . Then he goes and puts his hands on the young girl which breaks three norms at once . Fighting for one but not just any fighting , fighting a girl and a child . He actions was deviance at its highest . Though norms are broken everyday this is an example of a formal deviance . His actions can result in jail time which is also known as a formal sanction . Being an adult he should be a leading example but instead all he did was show his younger kids that it was okay to fight and hit girls . Our generation is failing as a whole cause the people we look up to as adults are acting like kids and showing us that deviance is the norm , which is so wrong .

Deviance in The Worst Form: Murder

Submitted by: Samantha Mesa

          Deviance is anything that violates socially established norms or rules set by society. Norms are a set of standards that people follow that has been generally written or understood by society. Deviance can be a tricky matter because sometimes one thing can be seen as normal in one culture and deviant in another. An example would be getting a tattoo. In some cultures, it can be viewed as a sign that you’re of low class or have been to prison. In others, it can show tribal lineage, political/social status, or even personal strength. One of the most popular examples of deviance could be murder. 

         In December of 2009, Susan Powell went missing from her home in Utah. Police had been investigating her disappearance for a few months, and even had a prime suspect, her husband, Josh Powell. While enduring countless interviews and interrogations, Powell continued to deny any involvement in his wife’s disappearance. He eventually lost custody of his two children to Susan’s parents, and the children seemed to be happy about the decision. One day when a social worker was on her way to bring the boys to their father’s, the boys decided to run away of her and went into of Powell’s house. He immediately locked the door and wouldn’t let the social worker inside of the house. What happened after would disturb anyone with children. Powell proceeded to attempt to murder his children  with a nearby hatchet and then lit his house on fire. Authorities later found that Powell had planned the entire thing and had even left numerous voice mails to family members stating that he couldn’t live without his boys and said, “sorry, goodbye” at the end of all his messages. There is no word yet of whether or not Susan Powell is considered dead but investigators say the case is still open. 

         What Josh Powell did was extremely deviant. Not only did he kill his sons, and possibly kill his wife, he killed himself. Murder is seen as a deviant act and so is suicide. Killing a person from your own family is also something that is deviant because family members are part of you. Powell committed formal deviance, which is when laws are involved and he violated them. It's hard to say what will eventually happen with this case but hopefully some kind of justice is served.

The Most Hated People In America?

By Jenn Thoman
According to a recent Gallup poll, there is one deviant behavior that Americans are still definitely not on board with. When asked about a list of minority groups, and whether Americans would elect them into public office, who do you think ranked last?

Far below women, African Americans, recent immigrants, Muslims, and homosexuals ranked atheists. Apparently, the American public does not trust non-theists. This lack of trust doesn't just apply to holding office, either. When survey participants were asked who most "shares [your] view of American society", Atheists ranked dead last. When those same people were asked who they would most want their children to marry, atheists ranked last again!

Sociologists define deviance as any behavior or identity that violates commonly held social norms. This country has a long history of religious belief, so the idea that someone can live here and be a productive member of society without religion is foreign. It is often asked of atheists, "Where do you get your sense of right and wrong, if not from a higher power?" There are no statistics that say atheists are more likely to commit crimes, so where does that idea come from?

Our country was founded on the basis of religious freedom. Now that so many behaviors that were considered deviant even twenty years ago are beginning to be accepted (like tattoos in the workplace, or openly LGBT relationships), maybe it's time to accept the idea of freedom from religion as well.