Social Deviance
The behavior of every individual may be considered as the demonstration of values, thoughts, feelings and interests. However, the behavior of every individual falls under the assessment of its consistency with the community values and norms that govern social life. The following analysis explores the concept of social deviance with regard to the specific nature of the behavior of police officers in Yellow Springs, Ohio,
USA, on the recent New Year's night.
The New Year’s Assault
There are several holidays that the American nation celebrates every year that symbolize the end and the beginning, which have become traditional for family meetings and community gatherings. Among these
holidays are Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and the New Year. These holidays are symbolic and motivate individuals to celebrations both in their home and in the streets of their towns, cities, and villages. The celebration of the New Year was not an exemption for the community of the small Ohio town Yellow Springs.
On this day, the citizens of Yellow Springs traditionally celebrated the upcoming new year and were enjoying their time with their friends and family members. However, the celebration of the 2017’s new year became the
event that will come into the social history of this small town. Every year, many members of this small community walk in the main street downtown “to ring in the new year by watching a disco ball lowered to the pavement”
(Eligon, 2017). As a rule, the residents of the town are allowed by the local police to enjoy the holiday for another 45 minutes after the midnight, before asking everyone to leave the main street and go to their homes. However, this holiday was a demonstration of deviant behavior not from separate civil representatives of the community but from the police officers. The residents of the town indicate (Eligon, 2017) that the police unexpectedly and without prior warning started to clear the main street only eight minutes before the midnight, namely right at the beginning of the new year. The police officers headed their vehicles through the crowd with horns buzzing and flashlights. This was contrary to the city’s expectations, norms, values, and culture. At the same time, police officers demonstrated aggression against several African American young males, which was estimated as a demonstration of racism and raised concern among all representatives of the community despite the fact that most of the citizens are white. Eventually, the tactics of the police were viewed by the community as antisocial, which was against the norms and values of the citizens of Yellow Springs.
The Concept of Social Deviance
The concept of social …
