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Whose Side Are We On - Houward Becker
Whose Side Are We On - Houward Becker
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WHOSE SIDE ARE WE ON?*
HOWARD S. BECKER
Northwestern University
To 'have values or not to have only read the results. Will the research,
values: the question is always with us. we wonder, be distorted by that sym-
When sociologists undertake to study pathy? Will it be of use in the con-
problems that have relevance to the struction of scientific theory or in the
world we live in, they find themselves application of scientific knowledge to
caught in a crossfire. Some urge them the practical problems of society? Or
not to take sides, to be neutral and do will the bias introduced by taking sides
research that is technically correct and spoil it for those uses?
value free. Others tell them their work We seldom make the feeling ex-
is shallow and useless if it does not plicit. Instead, it appears as a lingering
express a deep commitment to a value worry for sociological readers, who
position. would like to be sure they can trust
This dilemma, which seems so pain- what they read, and a troublesome area
ful to so many, actually does not exist, of self-doubt for those who do the
for one of its horns is imaginary. For research, who would like to be sure
it to exist, one would have to assume, that whatever sympathies they feel are
as some apparently do, that it is indeed not professionally unseemly and will
possible to do research that is uncon- not, in any case, seriously flaw their
taminated by personal and political work. That the worry affects both
sympathies. I propose to argue that it readers and researchers indicates that
is not possible and, therefore, that the it lies deeper than the superficial differ-
question is not whether we should take ences that divide sociological schools
sides, since we inevitably will, but of thought, and that its roots must be
rather whose side we are on. sought in characteristics of society that
I will begin by considering the prob- affect us all, whatever our method-
ological or theoretical persuasion.
lem of taking sides as it arises in the
study of deviance. An inspection of If the feeling were made explicit, it
this case will soon reveal to us features would take the form of an accusation
that appear in sociological research of that the sympathies of the researcher
all kinds. In the greatest variety of sub- have biased his work and distorted his
ject matter areas and in work done by findings. Before exploring its structural
all the different methods at our dis- roots, let us consider what the manifest
posal, we cannot avoid taking sides, meaning of the charge might be.
for reasons firmly based in social struc- It might mean that we have acquired
ture. some sympathy with the group we
We may sometimes feel that studies study sufficient to deter us from pub-
of deviance exhibit too great a sym- lishing those of our results which
pathy with the people studied, a sym- might prove damaging to them. One
can imagine a liberal sociologist who
pathy reflected in te research carried set out to disprove some of the com-
out. This feeling, I suspect, is enter-
tained off and on both by those of us mon stereotypes held about a minority
group. To his dismay, his investigation
who do such research and by those of reveals that some of the stereotypes
us who, our work lying in other areas, are unfortunately true. In the interests
of justice and liberalism, he might well
*Presidential address, delivered at the an- be tempted, and might even succumb
,:'. meeting of the Society for the Study to the temptation, to suppress those
,i Social Problems, Miami Beach, August, findings, publishing with scientific
1966.
SOCIAL PROBLEMS
candor the other results which con- have still not proved it false. Recog-
firmed his beliefs. nizing the point and promising to
But this seems not really to be the address it eventually, I shall turn to
heart of the charge, because sociologists the typical situations in which the
who study deviance do not typically accusation of bias arises.
hide things about the people they When do we accuse ourselves and
study. They are mostly willing to grant our fellow sociologists of bias? I think
that there is something going on that an inspection of representative in-
put the deviants in the position they stances would show that the accusa-
are in, even if they are not willing to tion arises, in one important class of
grant that it is what the people they cases, when the research gives credence,
studied were originally accused of. in any serious way, to the perspective
A more likely meaning of the of the subordinate group in some hier-
charge, I think, is this. In the course archical relationship. In the case of
of our work and for who knows what deviance, the hierarchical relationship
private reasons, we fall into deep sym- is a moral one. The superordinate
pathy with the people we are studying, parties in the relationship are those
so that while the rest of the society who represent the forces of approved
views them as unfit in one or another and official morality; the subordinate
respect for the deference ordinarily parties are those who, it is alleged,
accorded a fellow citizen, we believe have violated that morality.
that they are at least as good as anyone Though deviance is a typical case,
else, more sinned against than sinning. it is by no means the only one. Similar
Because of this, we do not give a bal- situations, and similar feelings that our
anced picture. We focus too much on work is biased, occur in the study of
questions whose answers show that the schools, hospitals, asylums and prisons,
supposed deviant is morally in the right in the study of physical as well as
and the ordinary citizen morally in the mental illness, in the study of both
"normal" and delinquent youth. In
wrong. We neglect to ask those ques-
tions whose answers would show that these situations, the superordinate par-
the deviant, after all, has done some- ties are usually the official and profes-
thing pretty rotten and, indeed, pretty sional authorities in charge of some
much deserves what he gets. In conse- important institution, while the subor-
quence, our overall assessment of the dinates are those who make use of the
problem being studied is one-sided. services of that institution. Thus, the
What we produce is a whitewash of police are the superordinates, drug ad-
the deviant and a condemnation, if dicts are the subordinates; professors
only by implication, of those respecta- and administrators, principals and
ble citizens who, we think, have made teachers, are the superordinates, while
the deviant what he is. students and pupils are the subordi-
It is to this version that I devote nates; physicians are the superordi-
the rest of my remarks. I will look nates, their patients the subordinates.
first, however, not at the truth or All of these cases represent one of
falsity of the charge, but rather at the the typical situations in which re-
circumstances in which it is typically searchers accuse themselves and are
made and felt. The sociology of knowl-, accused of bias. It is a situation in
edge cautions us to distinguish between which, while conflict and tension exist
the truth of a statement and an assess- in the hierarchy, the conflict has not
ment of the circumstances under which become openly political. The conflict-
that statement is made; though we ing segments or ranks are not orga-
trace an argument to its source in the nized for conflict; no one attempts to
interests of the person who made it, we alter the shape of the hierarchy. While
Whose Side Are We On?
subordinates may complain about the poses of our research, that subordinates
treatment they receive from those above have as much right to be heard as
them, they do not propose to move to superordinates, that they are as likely
a position of equality with them, or to to be telling the truth as they see it as
reverse positions in the hierarchy. superordinates, that what they say
Thus, no one proposes that addicts about the institution has a right to be
should make and enforce laws for investigated and have its truth or fal-
policemen, that patients should pre- sity established, even though respon-
scribe for doctors, or that adolescents sible officials assure us that it is un-
should give orders to adults. We can necessary because the charges are false.
call this the apolitical case. We can use the notion of a hier-
In the second case, the accusation of archy of credibility to understand this
bias is made in a situation that is phenomenon. In any system of ranked
frankly political. The parties to the groups, participants take it as given
hierarchical relationship engage in that members of the highest group
organized conflict, attempting either to have the right to define the way things
maintain or change existing relations really are. In any organization, no
of power and authority. Whereas in matter what the rest of the organiza-
the first case subordinates are typically tion chart shows, the arrows indicating
unorganized and thus have, as we shall the flow of information point up, thus
see, little to fear from a researcher, demonstrating (at least formally) that
subordinate parties in a political situa- those at the top have access to a more
tion may have much to lose. When complete picture of what is going on
the situation is political, the researcher than anyone else. Members of lower
may accuse himself or be accused of groups will have incomplete informa-
bias by someone else when he gives tion, and their view of reality will be
credence to the perspective of either partial and distorted in consequence.
party to the political conflict. I leave Therefore, from the point of view of a
the political for later and turn now to well socialized participant in the sys-
the problem of bias in apolitical situa- tem, any tale told by those at the top
tions.' intrinsically deserves to be regarded
We provoke the suspicion that we as the most credible account obtainable
are biased in favor of the subordinate of the organizations' workings. And
parties in an apolitical arrangement since, as Sumner pointed out, matters
when we tell the story from their of rank and status are contained in the
point of view. We may, for instance, mores,2 this belief has a moral quality.
investigate their complaints, even We are, if we are proper members of
though they are subordinates, about the group, morally bound to accept the
the way things are run just as though definition imposed on reality by a
one ought to give their complaints as superordinate group in preference to
much credence as the statements of the definitions espoused by subordin-
responsible officials. We provoke the ates. (By analogy, the same argument
charge when we assume, for the pur- holds for the social classes of a com-
munity.) Thus, credibility and the
l No situation is necessarily political or right to be heard are differentially dis-
apolitical. An apolitical situation can be
transformed into a political one by the tributed through the ranks of the
open rebellion of subordinate ranks, and a system.
political situation can subside into one in As sociologists, we provoke the
which an accommodation has been reached
and a new hierarchy been accepted by the
participants. The categories, while analyti- 2 William Graham Sumner, "Status in
cally useful, do not represent a fixed divi- the Folkways," Folkways, New York: New
sion existing in real life. American Library, 1960, pp. 72-73.
SOCIAL PROBLEMS
charge of bias, in ourselves and others, to their account of how the adult
by refusing to give credence and defer- world treats them. But why do we not
ence to an established status order, in accuse other sociologists who study
which knowledge of truth and the youth of being biased in favor of
right to be heard are not equally dis- adults? Most research on youth, after
tributed. "Everyone knows" that re- all, is clearly designed to find out why
sponsible professionals know more youth are so troublesome for adults,
about things than laymen, that police rather than asking the equally inter-
are more respectable and their words esting sociological question: "Why do
ought to be taken more seriously than adults make so much trouble for
those of the deviants and criminals youth ?" Similarly, we accuse those who
with whom they deal. By refusing to take the complaints of mental patients
accept the hierarchy of credibility, we seriously of bias; what about those
express disrespect for the entire estab- sociologists who only take seriously
lished order. the complaints of physicians, families
We compound our sin and further and others about mental patients?
provoke charges of bias by not giving Why this disproportion in the direc-
immediate attention and "equal time" tion of accusations of bias? Why do
to the apologies and explanations of we more often accuse- those who are
official authority. If, for instance, we on the side of subordinates than those
are concerned with studying the way who are on the side of superordinates?
of life inmates in a mental hospital Because, when we make the former
build up for themselves, we will natu- accusation, we have, like the well
rally be concerned with the constraints socialized members of our society
and conditions created by the actions most of us are, accepted the hierarchy
of the administrators and physicians of credibility and taken over the
who run the hospital. But, unless we accusation made by responsible officials.
also make the administrators and The reason responsible officials make
physicians the object of our study (a the accusation so frequently is precisely
possibility I will consider later), we because they are responsible. They have
will not inquire into why those con- been entrusted with the care and opera-
ditions and constraints are present. tion of one or another of our important
We will not give responsible officials institutions: schools, hospitals, law en-
a chance to explain themselves and forcement, or whatever. They are the
give their reasons for acting as they ones who, by virtue of their official
do, a chance to show why the com- position and the authority that goes
plaints of inmates are not justified. with it, are in a position to "do some-
It is odd that, when we perceive thing" when things are not what they
bias, we usually see it in these circum- should be and, similarly, are the ones
stances. It is odd because it is easily who will be held to account if they
ascertained that a great many more fail to "do something" or if what they
studies are biased in the direction of do is, for whatever reason, inadequate.
the interests of responsible officials Because they are responsible in this
than the other way around. We may way, officials usually have to lie. That
accuse an occasional student of medical is a gross way of putting it, but not
sociology of having given too much inaccurate. Officials must lie because
emphasis to the complaints of patients. things are seldom as they ought to be.
But it is not obvious that most medical For a great variety of reasons, well-
sociologists look at things from the known to sociologists, institutions are
point of view of the doctors? A few refractory. They do not perform as
sociologists may be sufficiently biased society would like them to. Hospitals
in favor of youth to grant credibility do not cure people; prisons do not re-
Whose Side Are We On?
quence will be some loss of political know, for instance, that we must grasp
power. the perspectives of both the resident
Superordinate groups have their of Watts and of the Los Angeles
spokesmen too, and they are confronted policeman if we are to understand
with the same problem: to make state- what went on in that outbreak.
ments about reality that are politically Second, it is no secret that most
effective without being easily dis- sociologists are politically liberal to
credited. The political fortunes of the one degree or another. Our political
superordinate group-its ability to preferences dictate the side we will be
hold the status changes demanded by on and, since those preferences are
lower groups to a minimum-do not shared by most of our colleagues, few
depend as much on credibility, for the are ready to throw the first stone or
group has other kinds of power avail- are even aware that stone-throwing is
able as well. a possibility. We usually take the side
When we do research in a political of the underdog; we are for Negroes
situation we are in double jeopardy, and against Fascists. We do not think
for the spokesmen of both involved anyone biased who does research de-
groups will be sensitive to the implica- signed to prove that the former are
tions of our work. Since they propose not as bad as people think or that the
openly conflicting definitions of reality, latter are worse. In fact, in these cir-
our statement of our problem is in it- cumstances we are quite willing to
self likely to call into question and regard the question of bias as a matter
make problematic, at least for the pur- to be dealt with by the use of technical
poses of our research, one or the other safeguards.
definition. And our results will do the We are thus apt to take sides with
same. equal innocence and lack of thought,
The hierarchy of credibility operates though for different reasons, in both
in a different way in the political apolitical and political situations. In
situation than it does in the apolitical the first, we adopt the commonsense
one. In the political situation, it is view which awards unquestioned
precisely one of the things at issue. credibility to the responsible official.
Since the political struggle calls into (This is not to deny that a few of us,
question the legitimacy of the existing because something in our experience
rank system, it necessarily calls into has alerted thehn to the possibility, may
question at the same time the legiti- question the conventional hierarchy of
macy of the associated judgments of credibility in the special area of our
credibility. Judgments of who has a expertise.) In the second case, we take
right to define the nature of reality our politics so for granted that it sup-
that are taken for granted in an apoli- plants convention in dictating whose
tical situation become matters of side we will be on. (I do not deny,
argument. either, that some few sociologists may
Oddly enough, we are, I think, less deviate politically from their liberal
likely to accuse ourselves and one colleagues, either to the right or the
another of bias in a political than in an left, and thus be more liable to ques-
apolitical situation, for at least two tion that convention.)
reasons. First, because the hierarchy of In any event, even if our colleagues
credibility has been openly called into do not accuse us of bias in research in
question, we are aware that there are a political situation, the interested
at least two sides to the story and so parties will. Whether they are foreign
do not think it unseemly to investigate politicians who object to studies of
the situation from one or another of how the stability of their government
the contending points of view. We may be maintained in the interest of
Whose Side Are We On?
the United States (as in the Camelot or another side to a relationship and
affair) 4 or domestic civil rights leaders will thus be affected, at least, by having
who object to an analysis of race suggested to him what the relevant
problems that centers on the alleged arguments and issues are. A student of
deficiencies of the Negro family (as medical sociology may decide that he
in the reception given to the Moynihan will take neither the perspective of the
Report),5 interested parties are quick patient nor the perspective of the
to make accusations of bias and dis- physician, but he will necessarily take
tortion. They base the accusation not a perspective that impinges on the
on failures of technique or method, many questions that arise between
but on conceptual defects. They accuse physicians and patients; no matter
the sociologist not of getting false data what perspective he takes, his work
but of not getting all the data relevant either will take into account the atti-
to the problem. They accuse him, in tude of subordinates, or it will not. If
other words, of seeing things from the he fails to consider the questions they
perspective of only one party to the raise, he will be working on the side
conflict. But the accusation is likely to of the officials. If he does raise those
be made by interested parties and not questions seriously and does find, as he
by sociologists themselves. may, that there is some merit in them,
What I have said so far is all sociol- he will then expose himself to the
ogy of knowledge, suggesting by outrage of the officials and of all those
whom, in what situations and for what sociologists who award them the top
reasons sociologists will be accused of spot in the hierarchy of credibility.
bias and distortion. I have not yet ad- Almost all the topics that sociologists
dressed the question of the truth of study, at least those that have some
the accusations, of whether our find- relation to the real world around us,
ings are distorted by our sympathy for are seen by society as morality plays
those we study. I have implied a partial and we shall find ourselves, willy-nilly,
answer, namely, that there is no posi- taking part in those plays on one side
tion from which sociological research or the other.
can be done that is not biased in one There is another possibility. We
or another way. may, in some cases, take the point of
We must always look at the matter view of some third party not directly
from someone's point of view. The implicated in the hierarchy we are
scientist who proposes to understand investigating. Thus, a Marxist might
society must, as Mead long ago pointed feel that it is not worth distinguishing
out, get into the situation enough to between Democrats and Republicans,
have a perspective on it. And it is or between big business and big labor,
likely that his perspective will be in each case both groups being equally
greatly affected by whatever positions inimical to the interests of the workers.
are taken by any or all of the other This would indeed make us neutral
participants in that varied situation. with respect to the two groups at
Even if his participation is limited to hand, but would only mean that we
reading in the field, he will necessarily had enlarged the scope of the political
read the arguments of partisans of one conflict to include a party not ordi-
narily brought in whose view the
4 See Irving Louis Horowitz, "The Life
sociologist was taking.
and Death of Project Camelot," Transac- We can never avoid taking sides.
tion, 3 (Nov./Dec., 1965), pp. 3-7, 44-47. So we are left with the question of
5 See Lee Rainwater and William L. whether taking sides means that some
Yancey, "Black Families and the White distortion is introduced into our work
House," ibid., 3 (July/August, 1966, pp.
6-11, 48-53). so great as to make it useless. Or, less
SOCIAL PROBLEMS