Blog Post 2: Why I Am/Not Deviant [UPDATED 1/29]

For this Blog Post, you will be writing 600-1500 words on why you are, or are not, deviant.

This post has two parts.

For the first part: Give us a background look at how deviant you are, or are not, according to society. To do this, use at least two of the theories we have read for this section of the class to explain how they can help to explain your level of deviance. This part will be a lot like the activity we did in class on Thursday 1/26. That day, we looked at the upbringing and life experiences of two offenders (Teal and Williams) to help explain why they broke into the Bookie. We used clues from their lives to correspond to concepts within the theories of deviance, then used those theories to explain why those particular people participated in that crime. Do that same treatment to yourself--what about your experiences and upbringing, according to two theories of deviance, can help explain why you are (or are not) a deviant today?

Keep in mind....for this part of the Blog Post, you do not need to catalog your historical illegal or deviant behaviors (please!). Only divulge what you are comfortable sharing with your peers, and anyone that might stumble across your blog! I am okay if you would like to lie about your past to make your points--the point is to show you understand the theories, not get you arrested, or one up your classmates with your scary stories. ;)

When you decide on your theories, explain them both thoroughly, including all of the components one would need to know to understand the theory. Then, relate each of the theories to yourself. What is it about you, your upbringing, your social status (and so forth) that makes you a potential or unlikely deviant, according to that theory? Remember to cite who developed the theories as part of the three readings or clips you need to use in your post. Be sure to relate your status as a deviant or non-deviant back to your experiment in deviance—how did your various statuses (race, class, gender, ability, age, sexuality, et al.) impact your experience with looking/acting deviant? When explaining any of the concepts, explain as if the person reading the post has NO background in Sociology or Criminology. Explain things at a basic level, and clearly.

For the second part: You get to be deviant, in a small way, and see how people deal with your deviance. For this part of your post, you will actually have to act in deviant ways, and keep track of the way people react to you. Please do not do anything illegal, or too terribly disruptive to your class or work environments, but do act or dress in a way that is considered “deviant” by mainstream society. You can stand the wrong way on an elevator, break other [small] unwritten social rules...the possibilities are endless. You must do a small deviant act at least three times, or sustain the deviant act/appearance for at least one hour, and you must do this deviance in a place where you can be observed by others. For some of us, we are already seen as deviant, so we are used to some amount of formal or informal sanctioning. For you, how did your baseline level of being perceived as "deviant" impact your experience with this experiment?

In your write up, tell us what you did to be deviant, and where you did it. Why is that behavior/appearance considered deviant by mainstream society? What is the potential harm, or reward, of having this behavior or appearance? Tell us how people reacted to you, and how it felt, both to be deviant, and to receive reactions (if any).

As with all of your Blog Posts, you need to use and cite at least THREE of the assigned course materials in your Post. Remember to embed videos, link when you can, and include a word count at the bottom of your post. Also remember this is ACADEMIC ANALYSIS so please maintain a professional, academic tone. Please refer to my Blog Post with feedback from the first round of Posts.