Climate Protest Deviance
Deviance is all around us. It can be as simple as cutting in line to acts of violence. After reading Chapter 6, think of an act or instance of deviance in current events
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Climate Protest Deviance
TO DO
- Define deviance using our textbook.
- Briefly describe a deviant act covered in the news– current or historic (such as an odd disturbance, a crime, protest, etc.).
- Which social norm(s) did the act break?
- Was a law(s) broken?
- Did the act bring about a change in the expected behavior (may be challenge any existing laws)? Or, did the act and the response to it reinforce these existing sanctions?
GRADING
- 1000 Words
- Evaluation based on:
- Completeness in addressing the prompt
- Quality of the writing
- Engagement of relevant readings from our textbook
Defining Deviance
According to the textbook Introduction to Sociology 3e by OpenStax, deviance refers to “a violation of established contextual, cultural, or social norms, whether folkways, mores, or codified law” (OpenStax, 2021, Section 6.1). Deviance is not inherently negative, nor is it always criminal. It can range from informal acts like speaking loudly in a quiet setting to serious infractions such as theft or violence. What counts as deviant depends largely on social context, time period, and the dominant cultural norms of the society in question.
Sociologists argue that deviance plays an important role in society. As Émile Durkheim suggested, deviance affirms cultural values and norms, promotes social unity by distinguishing acceptable from unacceptable behavior, and may even encourage social change by identifying areas in need of reform.
Example of Deviance: Climate Activist Protests
One notable example of deviance in recent current events involves climate activists in Europe and the United States, who have made headlines for gluing themselves to roads, throwing soup at famous paintings in museums, and blocking major traffic routes. A well-known protest occurred in
