SOC 201 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: Public Toilet
Document Summary
The relativity of deviance (what we already know) Because of the close connection between norms and deviance, it is fair to say that we already have a great deal of sociological knowledge about deviance. For one thing, we know that norms vary across societies. So, we also know that what is considered to be deviant varies across societies. Different societies have different expectations about how people ought to behave. A particular act may be regarded as normative in society a but deviant in society b. In some countries (e. g. , belgium, france, germany, japan, spain), it is expected that you will stop to help a stranger in trouble; fail to help and you might end up being arrested. In most places in the united states, however, the law can"t touch you even if you stand by and watch a murder.
