1. In the film “Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She,” it informs the audience of just that. The thesis of the film is about personal documentary and stories that involve sex, gender, transgender, and intersex people. In the film the audience is able to discover the challenges of transgender and intersex individuals and the steps it will take to have their male or female sex organs removed. What is also focused on is how society views this kind of transformation and behavior while having to deal with society.
2. Some of the main arguments in support of the thesis involve parents and couples who want to guard and protect their family from being harmed by society. Another issue focused on how society does not understand the trouble and hard ache that a person has to go through with living among others who do not accept this way of life.
3. The thesis of this film relates to the course because these people are prime examples of what is seen as deviant to society. One of the stories in this film focuses on 8 years Noah. Noah does different things that other boys his age are considered not to do for example; play with dolls and dress up like a girl. He is accepted and loved by his family but his parents fear the worst because of suicide or harm from other people. In the article by Anne Fausto called “The Five Sexes: Why Male and Female are Not Enough,” she explains that society will not always embrace intersexuality (Fausto Sterling 24). As Noah continues to act in his ways, society may not fully accept him as he gets older. But society today is turning more so to accepting homosexuality.
4. One of the points that stood out to me in the film was in Thailand. It was interesting to see that some of the performers were transsexual and transgender females. It was interesting to see how society accepted them there and that it was one of the country’s biggest tourist attractions. In our society this is considered deviant and viewed by many as a disorder of dysfunction.
5. One of the points I found that was least convincing was that this film was more about information and awareness on intersex and transgender individuals. If the film was more about ways on breaking the norms and barriers against transgender it would grasp more attention in society.
6. I think that Noah’s story stands out the most to me. Why was Noah acting the way he acted? As he gets older I would research his growth and progress. Will he change his ways and become different during puberty? Or will his parents get him on some kind of medications to get him to change? I would compare Noah’s situation to Labeling Theory by Howard Becker. He was picked on and called names by other boys and girls. If Noah is to continue his ways, he will be labeled by others and considered deviant by society. I would study Noah’s progress throughout his teenage years and see what changes, if any, have been made.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Rod, Deviant?
Rod was born in San Diego California but was raised in the Los Angeles for a majority of his life. Both of his parents were married. His father graduated from Oregon State University and his mother graduated from the University of Oregon. Rod’s upbringing as a child was different from other children. Rod and his older brother Calvin did not live with their parents in Portland, Oregon, but instead they both lived with their grandmother and grandfather in Los Angeles. Rod and Calvin did almost everything together growing up. Rod looked up to his older brother while Calvin consistently got into trouble. Consequently, Calvin would always get punished by his grandparents for disobedient and deviant ways.
One summer Rod and Calvin were outside playing baseball with some neighborhood friends as they did almost every day around noon. While playing, one of the kids hit the ball so hard it went over a neighbor’s fence. After the ball went over the fence the boys ended up with no ball to play with. They all gathered around to see who had an extra ball or who was able to get an extra ball. Unfortunately none of the kids were able. After a while of giving thoughts on where to get a ball, Calvin came up with an idea. He left and came back to the field 10 minutes later with a ball. None of the kids asked questions and they continued to play ball.
While continuing to play baseball the game once again came to a stop because a kid hit the ball into a large nearby pond. All the kids gathered back together to figure out where to get another ball. While gathering their thoughts Calvin made it a point to get that particular ball back. The kids asked why and Calvin explained it was a ball from his grandfather’s collection which was signed by Jose Conseco of the Oakland A’s. The kids were shocked and made it a mission to get the ball out from the large pond. Unfortunately there was no luck getting the ball back that afternoon. This situation is similar to the film The Sandlot. In the clip below it shows how a group of kids playing baseball lose a highly valued ball in a backyard. The kids do what they can to retrieve it.
Calvin made sure that Rod would not say anything to their grandfather. When they both got home their grandfather asked Calvin about the baseball and Calvin lied. Their grandfather called their parents in Portland and told them what Calvin did. Their grandfather was so mad he told Calvin he could no longer stay in his household. The next day Calvin was on a plane to Portland.
When Calvin moved, Rod was sad. He had nobody to look up to or play with anymore. He became frustrated that he had to be alone. Eventually Rod would end up stealing and lying like his older brother used to do. This got Rod into trouble. During school and while hanging out with friends Rod would teach others how act and commit the same bad behaviors.
When looking at Rods life, there are couple theories that may explain Rods deviant behavior. The first theory is Differential Association Theory by Edwin H. Sutherland, and Donald R. Cressey (1977). The theory says “When criminal behavior is learned, the learning includes (a) techniques of committing the crime, which are sometimes very complicated” (Cressey and Sutherland, 27). When Calvin moved his parents Rod started to act like Calvin. Before Calvin moved, Rod would not act in a deviant manner. Rods behavior was learned from his older brother and he did not want to quit his deviant behavior. According to Sutherland and Cressey they say “The principal part of the learning of criminal behavior occurs within intimate personal groups”. Calvin would lie and steal consistently and Rod would observe.
Another theory that relates to why Rod commits deviant acts is Control Theory by Travis Hirschi (1969). According to Hirschi he states “Control theories assume that the delinquent acts result when an individual’s bond is weak or broken”. When Calvin moved, Rods heart was broken and the delinquent acts started. Hirschi further explains that in order to avoid deviant acts you must have involvement in conventional activities. Rod and Calvin played baseball together and did other activities. Their parents and grandparents were not always around which gave both Rod and Calvin time and reason to commit deviant acts and behavior. There may be other explanations and theories that can relate to Rods life and deviant behavior, but Differential Association and Control Theory help explain why Rod engaged in the behaviors and acts he did.
Edwin H. Sutherland and Donald R. Cressey. (1977). Criminology. In Alex Thio, Thomas C. Calhoun, and Addrain Conyers (Eds.), Readings in Deviant Behavior (pp. 27-29). Boston, MA
Travis Hirschi. (1969). Causes of Delinquency. In Alex Thio, Thomas C. Calhoun, and Addrain Conyers (Eds.), Readings in Deviant Behavior (pp. 30-32). Boston, MA
Word Count 783
Part 2
In my experiment and experience on acting deviant for an hour, I noticed different reactions from random people and how they treated me. On February 3, 2012, I went to the Westfield shopping mall with a friend. I chose to experiment walking through the mall for an hour wearing my clothes on backwards. As I entered the mall I automatically received weird looks from people. The first floor of the mall is where I walked through first. I went inside a few stores and I could notice people giggling at me. When I walked inside the Old Navy store I overheard a young girl tell her mother “Mom, why does that dummy have his clothes on the wrong way?” When I went to the second floor I arrived at the food court. At that moment people were starring, pointing and laughing. Shortly after, I made my way through a few other stores and ended up at a jewelry store. While in the store I was given immediate attention by the jeweler as if I did not belong inside that store. My friend and I left the mall a while after.
My appearance was considered deviant by mainstream society because it went against the normality’s that society views as normal. The norms are that you are supposed to wear clotes the forward way. The potential harm for having this appearance is getting made fun of and called names by people around you and are considered an outcast. People’s reaction towards me was a times not pleasant, especially when I went into the jewelry store. I felt like I was automatically labeled deviant and an idiot to society. I relate my experience and experiment to Howard S. Becker’s Labeling Theory. According to Becker he explains that deviance is defined on an agreed upon rule, and if the rule is broken or not broken, society labels you deviant (39). In conducting my experiment at the mall, society viewed me as “breaking the rule” which labeled me as deviant. This also relates to Images of Deviance by Stephen Pfohl’s who says “Are there actions truly more harmful than the actions of people not labeled as deviants?” Pfohl says no (Pfohl,1994). Based on my experience on appearing deviant at the mall, my actions were not harmful but some in society may see it as harmful.
Howard S. Becker. (1963). Group from Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance. In Alex Thio, Thomas C. Calhoun, and Addrain Conyers (Eds.), Readings in Deviant Behavior (pp. 39-41). Boston, MA
Stephen Pfohl. (1994). Images of Being Deviant: In Alex Thio, Thomas C. Calhoun, and Addrain Conyers (Eds.), Readings in Deviant Behavior (pp. 11-14). Boston, MA.
Word Count 389
One summer Rod and Calvin were outside playing baseball with some neighborhood friends as they did almost every day around noon. While playing, one of the kids hit the ball so hard it went over a neighbor’s fence. After the ball went over the fence the boys ended up with no ball to play with. They all gathered around to see who had an extra ball or who was able to get an extra ball. Unfortunately none of the kids were able. After a while of giving thoughts on where to get a ball, Calvin came up with an idea. He left and came back to the field 10 minutes later with a ball. None of the kids asked questions and they continued to play ball.
While continuing to play baseball the game once again came to a stop because a kid hit the ball into a large nearby pond. All the kids gathered back together to figure out where to get another ball. While gathering their thoughts Calvin made it a point to get that particular ball back. The kids asked why and Calvin explained it was a ball from his grandfather’s collection which was signed by Jose Conseco of the Oakland A’s. The kids were shocked and made it a mission to get the ball out from the large pond. Unfortunately there was no luck getting the ball back that afternoon. This situation is similar to the film The Sandlot. In the clip below it shows how a group of kids playing baseball lose a highly valued ball in a backyard. The kids do what they can to retrieve it.
Calvin made sure that Rod would not say anything to their grandfather. When they both got home their grandfather asked Calvin about the baseball and Calvin lied. Their grandfather called their parents in Portland and told them what Calvin did. Their grandfather was so mad he told Calvin he could no longer stay in his household. The next day Calvin was on a plane to Portland.
When Calvin moved, Rod was sad. He had nobody to look up to or play with anymore. He became frustrated that he had to be alone. Eventually Rod would end up stealing and lying like his older brother used to do. This got Rod into trouble. During school and while hanging out with friends Rod would teach others how act and commit the same bad behaviors.
When looking at Rods life, there are couple theories that may explain Rods deviant behavior. The first theory is Differential Association Theory by Edwin H. Sutherland, and Donald R. Cressey (1977). The theory says “When criminal behavior is learned, the learning includes (a) techniques of committing the crime, which are sometimes very complicated” (Cressey and Sutherland, 27). When Calvin moved his parents Rod started to act like Calvin. Before Calvin moved, Rod would not act in a deviant manner. Rods behavior was learned from his older brother and he did not want to quit his deviant behavior. According to Sutherland and Cressey they say “The principal part of the learning of criminal behavior occurs within intimate personal groups”. Calvin would lie and steal consistently and Rod would observe.
Another theory that relates to why Rod commits deviant acts is Control Theory by Travis Hirschi (1969). According to Hirschi he states “Control theories assume that the delinquent acts result when an individual’s bond is weak or broken”. When Calvin moved, Rods heart was broken and the delinquent acts started. Hirschi further explains that in order to avoid deviant acts you must have involvement in conventional activities. Rod and Calvin played baseball together and did other activities. Their parents and grandparents were not always around which gave both Rod and Calvin time and reason to commit deviant acts and behavior. There may be other explanations and theories that can relate to Rods life and deviant behavior, but Differential Association and Control Theory help explain why Rod engaged in the behaviors and acts he did.
Edwin H. Sutherland and Donald R. Cressey. (1977). Criminology. In Alex Thio, Thomas C. Calhoun, and Addrain Conyers (Eds.), Readings in Deviant Behavior (pp. 27-29). Boston, MA
Travis Hirschi. (1969). Causes of Delinquency. In Alex Thio, Thomas C. Calhoun, and Addrain Conyers (Eds.), Readings in Deviant Behavior (pp. 30-32). Boston, MA
Word Count 783
Part 2
In my experiment and experience on acting deviant for an hour, I noticed different reactions from random people and how they treated me. On February 3, 2012, I went to the Westfield shopping mall with a friend. I chose to experiment walking through the mall for an hour wearing my clothes on backwards. As I entered the mall I automatically received weird looks from people. The first floor of the mall is where I walked through first. I went inside a few stores and I could notice people giggling at me. When I walked inside the Old Navy store I overheard a young girl tell her mother “Mom, why does that dummy have his clothes on the wrong way?” When I went to the second floor I arrived at the food court. At that moment people were starring, pointing and laughing. Shortly after, I made my way through a few other stores and ended up at a jewelry store. While in the store I was given immediate attention by the jeweler as if I did not belong inside that store. My friend and I left the mall a while after.
My appearance was considered deviant by mainstream society because it went against the normality’s that society views as normal. The norms are that you are supposed to wear clotes the forward way. The potential harm for having this appearance is getting made fun of and called names by people around you and are considered an outcast. People’s reaction towards me was a times not pleasant, especially when I went into the jewelry store. I felt like I was automatically labeled deviant and an idiot to society. I relate my experience and experiment to Howard S. Becker’s Labeling Theory. According to Becker he explains that deviance is defined on an agreed upon rule, and if the rule is broken or not broken, society labels you deviant (39). In conducting my experiment at the mall, society viewed me as “breaking the rule” which labeled me as deviant. This also relates to Images of Deviance by Stephen Pfohl’s who says “Are there actions truly more harmful than the actions of people not labeled as deviants?” Pfohl says no (Pfohl,1994). Based on my experience on appearing deviant at the mall, my actions were not harmful but some in society may see it as harmful.
Howard S. Becker. (1963). Group from Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance. In Alex Thio, Thomas C. Calhoun, and Addrain Conyers (Eds.), Readings in Deviant Behavior (pp. 39-41). Boston, MA
Stephen Pfohl. (1994). Images of Being Deviant: In Alex Thio, Thomas C. Calhoun, and Addrain Conyers (Eds.), Readings in Deviant Behavior (pp. 11-14). Boston, MA.
Word Count 389
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Deviant hip hop?
In the last seventy years music has evolved to become a major part of American culture. Some may agree that the genre of hip hop music has had a large impact on different cultures around the world. Hip hop is not only about music, but it is also about culture (urbandictionary.com). This has changed the way many people view this genre of music. In America, people may listen to and view hip hop music as corrupt, delinquent, violent, drug abusing, defiant, womanizing, greedy and deviant. But there are different styles within hip hop music that are still considered to be hip hop (about.com). In these styles there are some hip hop songs that can be considered "deviant" or "normal". This depends on what the artist’s character, song, and videos portray. One of the issues that will be focused on will be about what songs tend to be considered deviant or normal in this genre of music and why, as well as the consequences in being deviant.
In hip hop, who is considered deviant? Hip hop music has different styles that come from various artists (about.com). The considered deviant hip hop artist creates song lyrics and videos about money, women, cars, hustling, violence, the streets, drugs and partying. It seems as if the artists strive to be different from eachother and society. As a consequence, artists considered deviant may automatically be viewed as a menace to society because of what they do is opposite to society’s norms. For example, the hip hop artist’s style of dress may consist of sagging pants, baseball caps, tattoos, jewelry, new sneakers or boots, and fitted or loose t-shirts. These things the along with what is talked about in the music may categorize the artist as deviant. This is similar to Domenick Scuderas article called My Gay Lifestyle where he explains how everything is gay in the lifestyle he lives.
In relation to music and the lifestyle of the hip hop artist, it can be considered deviant in the eyes of society to dress how you want, live how you want and talk how you want. The style of dress hip hop artist’s wear and how they use music may be considered deviant to society, but the style is not the typical dress in all of the hip hop culture. In the article called Privilege, Power, Difference, and Us by Allan Johnson it says “In other words, if you’re not going along with the system, it won’t be long before people notice and let you know it” (Johnson, 85). The dress, styles, use of speech, are different to the norms of society which is something that hip hop culture is about regardless of what the norms are and what people say.
Other hip hop artists create songs and videos that deal with current world events, corrupt political and governmental systems and the everyday struggles people face to raise the consciousness. This can be considered "normal" because the music and the artist’s presentation and content the music focuses’ are issues that people can relate to. The videos and songs might be considered more tolerable to viewers; however they may also contain some aspects of what is considered deviant behavior, but not as extreme. To focus more on what is considered normal in hip hop may not be considered normal to certain people in society, even though the artist may not be deviant or portray deviant behavior.
The consequences of being deviant in hip hop music can be an issue. If you are a hip hop artist and are acting against the norms of society, then the consequences can sometimes result in penalty. In the book Deviant Behavior by Alex Thio, Thomas Calhoun and Addrain Conyers it says “The answer…is that labeled deviance are viewed as such because they threaten the control of people who have enough power to shape the way society imagines the boundary between good and bad, normal and pathological, acceptable and deviant” (Pfohl, 14). Does deviant behavior in relation to music have this kind of power to shape society? If so, the cultures arond the world would be diffrent.
Work Cited/References
Calhoun, Conyers, and Thio. Readings in Deviant Behavior. 6th ed. Boston, MA.
http://rap.about.com/od/genresstyles/tp/HipHopGenreGuide.htm
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hip-hop
Scudera, Domenick. 2011. "My Gay Lifestyle," Huffpost Gay Voices, November, 1, pp. 1.
Johnson, Allan. "Privilege, Power, Difference, and Us." Pp. 78-86. Previlege, A Reader, edited by M.S. Kimmel and A.L. Ferber.
In hip hop, who is considered deviant? Hip hop music has different styles that come from various artists (about.com). The considered deviant hip hop artist creates song lyrics and videos about money, women, cars, hustling, violence, the streets, drugs and partying. It seems as if the artists strive to be different from eachother and society. As a consequence, artists considered deviant may automatically be viewed as a menace to society because of what they do is opposite to society’s norms. For example, the hip hop artist’s style of dress may consist of sagging pants, baseball caps, tattoos, jewelry, new sneakers or boots, and fitted or loose t-shirts. These things the along with what is talked about in the music may categorize the artist as deviant. This is similar to Domenick Scuderas article called My Gay Lifestyle where he explains how everything is gay in the lifestyle he lives.
In relation to music and the lifestyle of the hip hop artist, it can be considered deviant in the eyes of society to dress how you want, live how you want and talk how you want. The style of dress hip hop artist’s wear and how they use music may be considered deviant to society, but the style is not the typical dress in all of the hip hop culture. In the article called Privilege, Power, Difference, and Us by Allan Johnson it says “In other words, if you’re not going along with the system, it won’t be long before people notice and let you know it” (Johnson, 85). The dress, styles, use of speech, are different to the norms of society which is something that hip hop culture is about regardless of what the norms are and what people say.
Other hip hop artists create songs and videos that deal with current world events, corrupt political and governmental systems and the everyday struggles people face to raise the consciousness. This can be considered "normal" because the music and the artist’s presentation and content the music focuses’ are issues that people can relate to. The videos and songs might be considered more tolerable to viewers; however they may also contain some aspects of what is considered deviant behavior, but not as extreme. To focus more on what is considered normal in hip hop may not be considered normal to certain people in society, even though the artist may not be deviant or portray deviant behavior.
The consequences of being deviant in hip hop music can be an issue. If you are a hip hop artist and are acting against the norms of society, then the consequences can sometimes result in penalty. In the book Deviant Behavior by Alex Thio, Thomas Calhoun and Addrain Conyers it says “The answer…is that labeled deviance are viewed as such because they threaten the control of people who have enough power to shape the way society imagines the boundary between good and bad, normal and pathological, acceptable and deviant” (Pfohl, 14). Does deviant behavior in relation to music have this kind of power to shape society? If so, the cultures arond the world would be diffrent.
Work Cited/References
Calhoun, Conyers, and Thio. Readings in Deviant Behavior. 6th ed. Boston, MA.
http://rap.about.com/od/genresstyles/tp/HipHopGenreGuide.htm
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hip-hop
Scudera, Domenick. 2011. "My Gay Lifestyle," Huffpost Gay Voices, November, 1, pp. 1.
Johnson, Allan. "Privilege, Power, Difference, and Us." Pp. 78-86. Previlege, A Reader, edited by M.S. Kimmel and A.L. Ferber.
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