Sociology of Deviance

PRE-LECTURE ACTITVITY

A. From the standpoint of being, you, as a member of the community, state whether the
following acts are deviant or not and explain why.

1. Ms. Arianni used to come to school to show off her different hairstyle and flashy hair color.
 The situation is in deviant, because we all know that school have always the rules and
maybe on that rules, hair coloring is prohibited. She violate formally-enacted rules of the
school.
 Maybe for some school it is okay for them that students have hair color, but still mostly, many
schools doesn`t allow it. To be general it is a deviant behavior.

2. A woman in a maternity dress caught in camera hiding a freezing bottle of soymilk under
her belly.

 The situation is in deviant, because the woman`s behavior violates formal deviance
which is robbery. She also violated the store`s rules.
3. A woman riddled herself with tattoos all over her body.

 It is not deviant. Her behavior doesn`t violate any social norms. We could say that
having a tattoo is just like a person who is a drug addict but if we think deeply, person`s
choice to have a tattoo doesn`t affect any one`s life. “My Body, My Rules”
4. A soldier killing the invading enemies in defense of his country.

 It is not deviant. Because the soldier doesn`t violates formal deviance which is the law.
It is stated Republic Act No. 242 Section 37, soldiers of the Philippines will serve honestly and
faithfully against all its enemies whomsoever; that I will support and defend the Constitution of
the Philippines; that I will obey the orders of the President of the Philippines and the orders of
the officers appointed over me, according to the rules and articles of war; and that I impose this
obligation upon myself voluntarily, without mental reservation or purpose of evasion.
 But there would be an issue to the religious groups that doesn`t support killings. They
believe that every life have its own purpose. So, for them it would be deviant. It violates
the commandment of God that stated on what their religious book says.
5. A professor teaching ethics is quarreling and shouting with invectives to her colleagues
while classes are going on.

 The situation is in deviant, because we all know that school have always the rules and
regulations. Anyone who violates the rules must be penalize even if he/she is a teacher.
His/her behavior basically wrong, it would violates the social norms. School should take
an action so that it will not happen again.

B. Assuming that your answer to all of the above is deviant, is it the role of the sociologist to
affirm and legitimize it? Explain.

 Yes. The reliability of the sociologist of what point of view he/she is infusing to the
public/society. Basically all of the statement of the sociologist must have a factual data
that would support the sociologist wanted to inform to the society. Remember that
sociologist task as a scientist is to clear away the misinformation and superstition
which clutters so much of our social thinking. And also sociologist must not be bias.