construct a deviant 1
the audience would become an important part of the recipe for deviance when we got into constructionism. This becomes clear when looking at labeling theory. Howard Becker, a classic and prominent labeling theorist suggests that, “Deviance is not a quality of the act a person commits, but rather a consequence of the application by others or rules and sanctions to an ‘offender’. The deviant is one to whom the label has successfully been applied; deviant behaviour is behaviour that people so label.” We hear something similar in “Race: The Power of an Illusion” when looking at who could become a naturalized U.S. citizen based on their race… “Whiteness was what the common white man said it was.”
Do you see what both statements have in common? It’s power. The powerful are far more likely to be able to label someone or a group of someones and have that label stick. Once a negative label sticks, people become stigmatized. An idea behind labeling theory is that when this happens, people are more likely to take on a “deviant” identity.
For Assignment , use the segment on immigrants, race and citizenship (“Race: The Power of an Illusion”) along with what you’ve read about constructionism and labeling (here people are constructing “deviants”) to write a story about someone’s journey into “deviance.” You can use a person from the film itself, ie. Takao Ozawa or Bhagat Singh Thind, or just make up someone all together, ie. Isaiah or Melanie.
Lableing theory is not particularly testable but it makes sense intuitively. Maybe some of you have seen a friend or family member go from being a straight A student to dropping out of school. Maybe you’ve had a similar experience yourself. Think back to middle school. Who were the kids getting picked on and who were the kids doing the picking. What we saw in the film was a much more extreme and harmful version of powerful, white men determining the fate of those they deemed “lesser than”.
So, don’t get too caught up in your head here, this is meant to be fun. In the past, I’ve made up a story about a new kid who joins our group of friends (the name is usually Bob). We all take Bob to his first college party and find out he doesn’t handle his liquor well. We take him out a few more times, but eventually determine that he’s just no fun to be around (we’re really much nicer people than this). So people start posting embarrassing pics of Bob and spreading rumors about him, ignoring him and so on. We’ve labeled Bob a social deviant. Moreover, he’s accepted this as truth. What happens to him now?
What might have happened to an immigrant denied citizenship because of her race? She too was labeled “less than” or a social deviant.
Construct a “deviant” for me. Be sure to address the power of your audience (those doing the labeling) and to keep things a little less gloomy, also include a scenario of what might have been if your character had been treated with respect and acceptance. You should be able to complete this assignment in 2 pages.
