The Deviance Dance

Question 1

How is one’s perspective on deviance theory like a dimmer switch?

Answer 1

Never exactly an all or nothing situation, most people arent 100% subjectivist or 100% objectivist, usually combine a couple things together and fall somewhere on the continuum in between the two perspectives

Question 2

What is the deviance dance and what are the forms in which it can present itself?

Answer 2

= interactions/negotiations/debates among groups with different perceptions of whether a certain behaviour is deviant and should be socially controlled (and if so, how)

• can be uniform: everyone do same thing to make their point
• less structured: ppl take different steps to reach same goal
• chaotic/’mosh pit’: big ugly argument, get points in wherever possible

Question 3

Deviance dance and the social typing process?

Answer 3

Dance is involved at all three steps of the process

• debate the description of someone
• debate the language/techniques used to judge/create bias
• debate the prescription/social control techniques (ex: institutionalization or not)

Question 4

What are the forms of social control?

Answer 4

• informal (rude looks) vs formal sanctions (laws)
• retroactive (fine after speeding) vs preventative (speed limit sign to prevent speeding)
• regulation of others vs regulation of self (prevent own deviance or manage deviant image ex: covering tattoos with makeup)

Question 5

What are the 5 agents of power that are capable of imposing social control and defining deviant behaviour?

Answer 5

• politicians/government (laws)
• scientists
• religious institutions
• media
• corporations
  ^^ all can be on either side of deviance dance, although media, religious institutions, and corporations seem to have a bit more freedom about which side (gov and scientists often a united front on something, like covid!)

Question 6

How does conformity tie into social control and the deviance dance?

Answer 6

Conformity is usually a result of being socially controlled, so non-conformity is deviant and often a disagreement with agents of power
- during world war President Woodrow Wilson wanted conformity, said it was a great thing to do for country, bc needed everyone to work together to help and etc, conformity was imposed (more taxes, restructuring country)
- other leaders (JFK, Rita Mae Brown, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich) said some funky quotes that all essentially resist conformity, say that world needs deviance/non-conformists to make change
^ so that is all the deviance dance, even between agents of power themselves!

Question 7

What is an example of something that doesn’t have much of a deviance dance goin on with it?

Answer 7

Global human rights policy: most countries on board with general consensus of what rights ppl deserve (freedom from discrimination, security of person/property, human dignity) – not much debate here on which rights/lack of rights are considered deviant