Deviant Subcultures: Understanding Social Order in Communities - Essay Sample

Introduction

Social order is essential in every community. There is a shared expectation among people within the same deviant group regarding norms and culture. Deviant subcultures are those that groups that reject some aspects of the mainstream culture. There are many groups such as LGBTQ, fat activism, BDSM networks, among others, which the society labels as very deviant according to the social norms. However, according to the individuals in these subcultural groups, the deviant terminologies used to describe them is out of context because they break no legal laws. Some of these groups aim to change society, some like the LGBTQ and music groups oppose their values, and others like obese people want to be left in peace. According to the beliefs of deviant groups, the terminologies used to describe these subcultures in a societal complex with guiding social norms and principles are harsh and varies among people with different personal experiences.

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Deviant subcultures give a lot of importance to the terminologies used to describe them because they believe that social labeling increases cases of negative stereotyping. Many individuals in deviant subcultural groups feel isolated from others because of the shame that comes about by societal labeling. According to the Georgian sociologist Davis, the main priority, in regards to terminologies and language is to reach the end product of promoting the wellbeing (Davis 12). From the experiences that Davis went through as a member of the intersex community, she aims to reveal and make the world understand the struggles that intersex communities and other groups go through all the time (Davis 20). According to Davis's reasoning, the language used in terminologies is the cause of increased stigmatization, secrecy, and nonconsensual treatment (p.39). According to Meads's concept of social control theory, social control on 'self' is crucial because the "self" takes on the role of others and the expectations of the group (Deflem 33). This means that an individual self takes on the characteristics that society labels them. These myriad ideas why social labeling leads to character change and stigmatization are some of the reasons why deviant subcultural seek to change the terminologies used to describe them.

Terminologies used to describe subcultural groups result in consequences such as poor personal relationships, mistreatments in health care settings, discrimination, and societal stigmatization. Due to social labeling, a unique group of people with obesity face personal relations consequences in places like dating sites where there exists a strong bias against females who are overweight. Additionally, terminologies result in stigma, and through this, it occurs increased discrimination with an aim to reduce the victim's life chances. The LGBTQ communities are stigmatized with collective reasoning that the group's existence is the cause of crimes such as rape, sodomy, and increased prostitution. According to critics of such deviance groups, differential-association theory-which states that the environment plays a vital role in shaping individual behaviors- these groups provide a condition in which people practice criminal actions. Terminologies used to describe unique deviant groups lead to discrimination, stigmatization, and mistreatment that may trigger involvement in crime and deviance.

Terminologies shape individual experiences. According to Davis, people who term themselves as intersex show have a greater positive sense of self, and better relate to their gender identity compared to those that term themselves as people with Disorders of Sexual Development (DSD). On the other hand, those who term themselves with the medical term DSD have a more positive relationship with their doctors compared to their fellow intersex mates but a negative sense of self and find it hard accepting the gender uniqueness. Personal identity shapes one's experiences; thus, according to deviant subcultural groups, positive terminologies lead to positive activities of individual members and experiences.

An act is considered deviant, depending on society's definition and terminologies used because actions are a product of social processes. Deviant subcultural groups believe that because social norms can be substantially resistant to change, and behaviors or physical appearance against the reasonable societal standard is negatively termed and considered deviant. LGBTQ group is labeled by society as immoral criminal groups because the society refuses to accept how different people can be. Thus when one group is labeled negatively as deviant, then removing the label becomes hard. According to McCaughey et al., deviant groups are only marked as bad when some have proved to be innovative and beneficial change (177). What the deviant subcultural groups' question is, why does it grow every day if it is termed as a societal failure? According to Levine and Marques, the primary problem of a social system is not the norms but the boundaries placed (545). Members of deviant groups believe that ordinary people have issues too and are not perfect; therefore, there should be no resent in defining these unique groups.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the inflexibility of the guiding principles and norms of society has led to the adaptation of terminologies that judge people harshly with different personal experiences. Deviant subcultures believe that social labeling increases cases of negative stereotyping. Additionally, harsh languages used by society results in consequences such as poor personal relationships, mistreatments in health care settings, discrimination, and societal stigmatization. Furthermore, deviant subcultures believe that labeling theory shape experiences of individuals; thus, negative labeling may result in negative behaviors.

Work Cited

Davis, Georgiann. Contesting intersex: The dubious diagnosis. Vol. 10. NYU Press, 2015.

Deflem, Mathieu. "Deviance and social control." The handbook of deviance (2015): 30-44, www.researchgate.net/publication/331286885_Social_Control_Deviance_and

Levine, John M., and Jose M. Marques. "Norm violators as threats and opportunities: The many faces of deviance in groups." Group Processes & Intergroup Relations 19.5 (2016): 545-552, doi.org/10.1177/1368430216657415

McCaughey, Charles H., et al. Deviant behavior: Crime, conflict, and interest groups. Routledge, 2016.