Why I am a Deviant

Part one

On the weekend after the Marriage and Domestic Partnership Bill 6239 got passed in Washington State, I went to visit my uncle and friends in Federal Way. On my way, I pick up my former classmate and a gay man James at Tacoma. James was going to South Center Mall for shopping. While in Federal Way and the Mall, I introduced James as my best friend to friends. We spend three hours hanging out with him after he had done shopping. We went to some places such as the Youth Center for the event and visiting some of my friends in their apartments. Wherever we go, he looked odd that everyone know who James is. This was because the way James dressed. I saw some people did not even feel comfortable at that time. I felt so deviance because my society and culture do not think that gay is something normal. They structure things like how people structure here in the United States.  Being a friend with James me look deviance to most my South Sudanese friends and uncle simply because way people structure. I saw some of my friends feeling although no one say anything bad about him and me. After spending three hours with, I gave James a ride to Tacoma. When I came back to my uncle apartment, some started to ask me some serious questions such as where we meet, how long had I been friend with him, and is James also majoring in criminal justice in WSU, Vancouver. I told them that James was my classmate at Highline Community College in 2009.  I knew that friends were not going to be happy about me. However, I did that because I am an easy going person who likes to learn more about others cultures though my friends and uncle see me like a deviant.

Personally I was considered being totally a deviant because all of my friends and uncle sometimes making fun at me for supporting same sex agendas. I try to explain the reason some people change their gender but they still don’t get it. On the day that they see me with Mr. James they freak out about what I am doing with a gay man. I learned on that day being a deviant in the society is totally misunderstood and considered as a devil. I think the labeling theory explain that stigmatizing people in the society result into a negative attitudes toward those who are being labeled.

As Becker stated “the assumption that those who broken the rules are considered as a homogenous group because they committed the same deviance act (Reading in Deviant Behavior p. 39).”  I was also considered as a deviant by my friends because I hang out with James. I think we cannot label deviant people as an outsiders just because they not following the rule of a society. But it happened to me and James while we were in Federal Way. In my research, I ignored the fact about the deviance because it is just created by people. I think the way friends had constructed social deviance last time will be different than next time when James and I visit them simply because social construction is varying by time. Finally, I enjoyed my sociology class and the research I have done and be continues doing.

Part two

I will be a deviant person because I want to married two wives in the United States. First, Americans do not marry more than one wife because of the reasons such as economic reason, Gender equality, religion belief, and merging political ideology with religious and population increases. First of all Americans may think that it is very difficult to support two families, which I do not believe is true for me.  But I think I can afford two families even though American views it as impossible. But in term of Religious, some American believes that bible stated that one man marriage one woman. I am a Christian but I do not believe that more than one wife is a sin. I believe it is good for me to have more than one wife as long as one can afford them and not simply a crime.  However, I will not be allow being a polygyny since the society had already structure the way they want marriage to be.  This may result into a class struggle and conflict can rise.

When it comes to gender equality, women may want to a debate why men marry more than one husband while everyone is equal. This debate might bring a conflict between two gender if it happens that men are allows being polygyny. Government may talked about increasing population in the country if there more polygamy in the country. But I do not think that I will stop having many children because the population increases.  I will be considered a deviant person in America if I came with the idea of polygyny which does not exist.

Powerful interest would construct polygyny as a crime. They will also consider it as a deviant and illegal to married more than one wife.  I will consider that as a deviant if I am not being allowed to marriage two wives and have lot of children. On the other hand, I may have different views of the matter. I might not accept the rule by which I being judge and will not regard those who judge me as legitimate to do so. However, the case is going to be a conflict because the construction of an ideology of Americans will fit me into a crime. They will do that because this how social reality of crime is constructed in their society. As a result, I will be in a big trouble or may be put in a prison because of violating their rules. Believing in the ideology of one wife could bring a hug tension between and the interest of the dominant groups will intervene because they may thing that I will not able to support two families alone. As a result, they will try to protect government resources. This may come with what we had learned about in conflict theory, control and learning or differential association theory.  

Conflict theory will play some role here in this situation. They theory is going to come with the explanation that will fit me into a capitalist society definition of a criminal according to Richard Quinney. As Richard Quinney stated “definitions of crime are composed of behavior that conflict with the interest of the dominant class (Reading in Deviant Behavior. p 45)” I think this will come to the idea of Marx’s conflict theory and explanation. According to the class lecture, Karl Marx is the inventor of conflict theory and he believed here two categories of people such as elite and working class. In the system, elite are the one who set the laws and rules for the general population. Therefore, they will not allow the marriage of more than one wife to happen. Most laws and rules of the land usually benefit those that have already been in power unless the elite support the idea of polygyny. As discussed in the class, the definitions of crime are applied by the classes who have power to shape the application of the organization. As a result, I will be considered as a deviant and at the sometime a criminal. I am going to be labeled as a deviant but in fact not broken a rule.  Americans will share me as an outsider who broke upon the agree rule.  As a result, the interest or elite group may come with deportation laws that may be either deported me to South Sudan or spent long time in prison.  

Control theory will also play some role in my case because it assumes that delinquent acts result when someone link to the society is weak and doesn’t want to follow the rule and law. This theory assumes the existence of a common value within the society who is being violated must not be allowed. All of these theories may come up via the powerful elite. My deviant will not be the act I commit but how Americans are going to label my act as a deviant. I think it’s also clear when Howard Becker talk about who is labeled as a deviant in a society. Finally, I will be in a big trouble whether I believe it or not.  

Work cited:

  Becker, Howard (1963) Outsiders defining Deviance.  Boundaries readings in Deviance, crime And Criminal justice, P 1-18.

Calhoun, C. Thomas, Conyers, Addrain & Thio, Alex. 2010. Reading in Deviant Behavior: Boston, MA:  person education, Inc publishing Allyn & Becon

Jensen, Gary F. 2003. Social Control Theories in. Encyclopedia of Criminology. Richard A. Wright (Editor). Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers.

sitemason.vanderbilt.edu/files/l/l3Bguk/soccon.pdf

Tirop, Zippora and Madi Sawyer 4/27/2011 Conflict Theory with Jane Addams and Karl Marx

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