SOCI 201 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Trophy Hunting, Social Constructionism, Body Piercing
24 Feb 2018
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Deviance simply means (cid:1688)straying from the norm or the usual. (cid:1689) it does not mean that the deviant is necessarily bad, criminal, perverted, (cid:1688)sick,(cid:1689) or inferior in any way. Covert characteristics can include age, ethnic background, (cid:1688)race,(cid:1689) sexual orientation, degree of ableism and sex. Deviance comes down to how we define (cid:1688)the norm. (cid:1689) it is also about who defines the norm, and the power of the who share the norm to define it and treat others as inferior or dangerous. Just as norms change, so does deviance. In canada, the dominant culture is white, english-speaking, of european heritage, christian, male, middle-class, middle-aged, urban, heterosexual, able-bodied, and without visible signs of mental/emotional difference. To a certain extent it is true that to differ from the dominant culture is to be deviant. Subculture is the focal point of one of two early theories of deviance.
