In the words of Frank Zappa, “Without deviance from normality, there can be no progress” (Deviance quotes, n.d). Deviance is needed for a society to advance. Things that were deemed acceptable back then would not relate to the era that we are living in right now which is why deviance is important. The group that I decided to analyze is the Black Lives Matter Movement. Black Lives Matter is a voluntary organization that campaigns against violence and systemic racism toward black people. I will be analyzing this voluntary organization using the strain, power elite, and control theories of deviance.
Strain theory, according to the Sociology 2e textbook, is when an organization has a socially accepted goal but lacks ways to do it by socially accepted methods. Out of the five ways people respond to this inconvenience, I determined that the Black Lives Matter movement utilizes the innovation method; whereas the way they attempt to achieve their goal of equality for black people is through protests which are seen as deviant. Protests can be peaceful or violent, but that all depends on the response of the audience. Many people resort to this form of campaigning simply because this is usually the only way to be heard and seen. Yes, you can make posts on the internet or hashtags on Twitter, but will that really result in change? The answer is no. There has to be something actively occurring to show that you do, really want change. The Bible says, “Faith without work is dead”, therefore we cannot rely on our hope for a better future to occur, we have to work for it. After the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman, the Black Lives Matter Movement bolted for the streets to advocate for justice in the black community (Black Lives Matter [BLM], n.d). A young man’s life was taken from him for no other reason but fear due to the stereotype that blacks are dangerous. The court then persisted with no remorse, to let the man go free without repercussions. How would you feel if your friend, family member, or child was taken from you due to racism? I too would result in protests. Black people are basically invisible to the naked eye of white people; therefore for a change to come, we must be seen. Moreover, the white society and police officers viewed this as appalling since protests of that nature rarely occurred and the majority of the people witnessing this did not care for equality or justice for blacks. Because this act was out of societal norms, it was viewed as negative deviance; however, this was later discovered to be a positive deviance because equality brings us closer together and alleviates conflict. An example of these deviances that was brought up by a colleague would be the issue with Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali's refusal to be drafted during the Vietnam War made 1968, his first full year of exile from boxing, both humbling and empowering. The fact that he did not want to be in the war was seen as negative deviance to the government officials who felt as though he would be fighting for his country, but later on, it was seen as positive deviance because he refused to participate in the mass killing of innocent people.
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The Power Elite theory occurs when a small group of influential people get to decide what is considered the norm due to their status (Griffiths et al., 2017). This can be used to relate to white supremacy. Since the beginning of time, white people have been viewed as superior and as the era of technology has progressed they are still seen as such. Regardless of all of the evidence that has shown that black people are equally as intelligent or even more, whites refuse to accept this fact. This therefore displays that they get to decide what are considered as norms.
Crime and social class are vital subcategories of this theory. Inequality pertaining to crime is a major issue seeing that the people who suffer the harsh end of the stick are black individuals.
There were many occurrences with the Black Lives Matter movement where they have been treated unfairly. Zellie Thomas, a black lives matter leader, was arrested, charged with obstruction, and issued a summons for protesting peacefully against the murder of Jameek Lowery ( Malinconico, 2019). Jameek Lowery died at the hands of our ‘wonderful’ men in blue for again, no reason at all. However, a white police officer shot and killed Pamela Turner, a black woman, for simply walking to her house (Jazeera, 2019). This officer was then given paid administrative leave and convicted as not guilty. How is this fair? How is this just? Even going back to 1955, Emmett Till was brutally abducted and murdered by white men because a white woman by the name of Carolyn Bryant accused him of whistling at her. These men were quickly acquitted of the crime. The ‘justice’ system has rarely been in our favor and racism is the reason why. This is why the Black Lives Matter Movement is trying so hard to create new social norms and introduce white people to something called ‘change’. Although it is seen as deviant, at least these new norms would be acceptable to all races.
Lastly, Control theory refers to the feeling of exclusion from a society which promotes deviant behavior (Griffiths et al., 2017). The greatly idealized version of the world would be one where everyone feels included. But it's when the creation of outcasts occurs, that individuals and society are greatly impacted. One of the most vital bonds out of the four that connect people to society is belief. When people feel like they are included and valued, that’s when their mindset changes. The Black Lives Matter Movement tries its absolute best to make people feel included in a society where they are excluded. This organization does not only consist of black people. It accepts people of all sexual orientations, races, and religions who believe in equality.
Because of the presence of democratic leaders in this group, who encourage group participation in decision-making, actions like these can take place. They provide safe spaces for families and friends of persons who died of police brutality and injustice; as well as teaming up to protest for justice. If the rest of the world would get to that state of mind where everyone is included, crime, injustice, violence, and hatred would cease.
In essence, Black Lives Matter draws attention not just to police brutality, but to the many deep imbalances in how the state values human life. I believe that the three theories that I used to analyze this specific group were suitable and fit the purpose. Deviance has always been categorized by what the ‘superior’ group deems fit for it. Everyone should be able to actively contribute to this growing list of deviances rather than one group. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” (Equality Quotes, n.d).
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