Week 6

Deviance and Social Control

Conflict Theory- Only the powerful decide what deviant behavior is in order to keep them on top.

Labeling Theory- Deviance is only deviance when it is labeled as such.

Functionalist Perspective- Deviance is a normal part of a functioning society and shows people what proper and improper behavior is.

I personally find the conflict theory on deviance more persuasive than that of the labeling theororists or functionalists’.

The government and overall authority of a society ultimately have the say on what deviant behavior is. The top two percent in power use this to their advantage. The prohibition era is an example. Alcohol was banned and many people went to underground bars where people could drink alcohol and this started organized crime in which people went through big lengths to smuggle alcohol. Whether it was in eggs or milk cartons people found a way. Eventually, the depression hit and the country was losing tax revenue so the government decided it was best to make alcohol legal again only for their more important motive which was to start taxing it $$. Drinking alcohol which was once considered deviant was later changed in order for the government to make profit from the rest of society.
Another one is marijuana, which is also illegal and tobacco is not, because it makes a lot of revenue for the big corporations that distribute and sell it.

Overall, functionalists’ do not explain the motives behind deviance which weakened their perspective, and Labeling theory takes deviance on a more individual level of society, where as conflict theory can be applied to the past as well as the present.

All this and all the Rage against the Machine I listen to fill me up with so much angst against the government. Conflict theory just appealed to me more overall. It goes too well with what we’ve been learning in class just listen to their lyrics.

(Totally related I swear, plus all these power chords and beats make get you pumped!) ^^

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jh9p-HSW_8

The lyrics basically mean that we are all just puppets of the government (they say jump and you say how high) and that we are controlled by the media (packed a 9 fired at the prime time).