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Deviant Behavior: Why is deviance a subjective term and what importance does this play in today's world?
The term 'deviance' may mean deviating from the norm, but it is important to remember that what is considered normal behavior has changed considerably over time, even within the United States. Once upon a time, for example, racial oppression was accepted, drugs were legal, and more recently, the drinking age was not uniformly 21 throughout the United States. What seems normal is a product of a particular cultural moment, not a universal standard, although it may 'feel' normal at present. Normalcy and what is 'good' thus is not always the same thing -- a society must constantly question its standards of what is acceptable and what is deviant.
This is especially important in our modern, multicultural world. As the world grows smaller, everyone is exposed to new standards of normalcy, and confronted by the prospect that what his or her nation considers abnormal is the norm somewhere else. In some ways, this constant questioning of accepted values may be healthy for a society, as a person from a very homogeneous nation might see that it is possible to live in a state of peace, even in a multiethnic society. On the other hand, this exposure to many different systems of morality can also be confusing, and can make any kind of deviant behavior seem acceptable in a relativistic fashion. Why obey the drug laws of the United States when in Amsterdam, there are no such regulations?
Setting standards of deviance and normalcy is a negotiation between the rights of the individual and the needs of the community. Sometimes, the rights of the individual will win out, other times the community's need for harmony will supersede these individual rights. This negotiation will vary from nation to nation, time to time, and place to place.
Works Cited
Simon, David R. (2006). Elite Deviance.
7th Ed.
Thio, Alex & Thomas C. Calhoun. (2006). Readings in Deviant Behavior. 3rd Ed.
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