Deviance

Social Norms- These are actions, thoughts, or beliefs that have been established and for the most part accepted within a society. There are 2 kinds of social norms; mores and folkways. Mores are a set of moral customs that are developed through generally accepted practices within a society. In a way, they are stricter than folkways because they mold what a person considers to be moral and ethical behavior. For example, certain religions have social mores where it is accepted that a couple will wait until marriage before engaging in certain acts. A more that exists within my household is that swearing at an adult is considered unacceptable. Folkways stem from organized casual interactions and we engage in them to fulfill our daily needs. It is such a routine that it is more common to be engaging in one unconsciously. For example, at my house, all the doors stay open. If your bedroom door isn't open, then it is implied that you are hiding something from the rest of the family.

Deviance- A deviant person is one who goes against the social norms. Being that each society is different and ever changing, deviance is a matter of perspective. In America, deviance is most commonly linked to social classes. In the Saints and Roughnecks reading, the roughnecks are the ones labeled as deviant while the Saints are let off pretty easily because of their pre-existing label of "good kids". The Saints were actually more deviant than the Roughnecks because they were going against their societies norms more than the Roughnecks were. The Roughnecks acted the same way that most people in their neighborhood reacted. They live in a lower class environment and so deviance is commonly placed on the less fortunate. Whereas the Saints were raised in a better social class and taught right from wrong, but still acted defiantly. Once the Roughnecks were labeled as deviants, everyone looks at them as such, The Saints were labeled as good students, so every situation they find themselves in, that is how they are perceived. These labels are dangerous because they lead to stigmas which follow people around for the rest of their lives. No matter how much the Roughneck kids change, they will always be seen as a person that was deviant. Although what the Saints and Roughnecks were doing was negative deviance, there is such a thing as positive deviance. Positive deviance is when a group or person goes against social norms to find a solution to a problem. I cannot personally recall a time that I have been positively deviant, but that doesn't mean that I never have done something deviant. It could be that I just didn't realize it was deviant at the time and so now I can't associate it with being deviant, whether it be positively or negatively.

Criminal Justice System- In 30 days in jail, Morgan Spurlock is exposed to how the CJS really works, and the cycle that exists within this system. When a person is put in jail, it can mold them into a criminal, even if they weren't before. People put in jail could also need another kind of professional help that jail doesn't offer, like someone detoxing from a drug addiction like Travis was in the video. A social construction is created through this cycle because if a person has been to jail and served time, then they are forever labeled as a criminal even if they are only a one-time offender. The fact that society views them as criminals is simply a construct because not all people that make a mistake are criminals or deviants.