Deviants and Succcess
Imperfections from Success I’ve always believed that as someone becomes more successful, society around them tries to bring to the surface any and all imperfections, no matter the size, to stigmatize that person as a deviant (an individual who negatively strays away from a norm). Audiences tend to search for flaws through anyone’s accomplishments. An opinion or stigmatization from one audience influences how other audiences view you. Stigmatizations also affect how people view themselves. The predicament with the idea that with success brings condemnation from others, is that it daunts people from wanting to succeed.
Take, for example, the story of Tiger Woods. Throughout his career, he was looked up to by just about every golfer. Every year, he became more and more successful. Everyone wanted to be Tiger for a day, until the media dug up some dirt on him that made him look deviant. Once word hit the streets that Tiger cheated on his wife, his prestigious master status deteriorated and a stigma was developed in its place. Where he was once idolized, he is now defined as a deviant. Through the condemnation of others, he seems to belittle himself as his career suffers. Audiences look for a reason to stigmatize you as deviant. An audience can be anyone; from one person to an entire nation. They are very powerful in the judgment of what is or is not deviant. According to Erich Goode, “Most sociologists define ‘deviance’ as behavior, beliefs, or physical characteristics that violate a social rule and are likely to elicit negative, condemnatory reactions (ix)”. In other words, anyone that is or does something considered different or abnormal by a major group (big in size or power), will receive a negative reaction, deviant identity, and suffer consequences for that defiant act. For Tiger’s case, the major group was the media, and the defiant act that he acquired a stigmatization for was cheating on his wife. Stigmas are contagious. Once one
Take, for example, the story of Tiger Woods. Throughout his career, he was looked up to by just about every golfer. Every year, he became more and more successful. Everyone wanted to be Tiger for a day, until the media dug up some dirt on him that made him look deviant. Once word hit the streets that Tiger cheated on his wife, his prestigious master status deteriorated and a stigma was developed in its place. Where he was once idolized, he is now defined as a deviant. Through the condemnation of others, he seems to belittle himself as his career suffers. Audiences look for a reason to stigmatize you as deviant. An audience can be anyone; from one person to an entire nation. They are very powerful in the judgment of what is or is not deviant. According to Erich Goode, “Most sociologists define ‘deviance’ as behavior, beliefs, or physical characteristics that violate a social rule and are likely to elicit negative, condemnatory reactions (ix)”. In other words, anyone that is or does something considered different or abnormal by a major group (big in size or power), will receive a negative reaction, deviant identity, and suffer consequences for that defiant act. For Tiger’s case, the major group was the media, and the defiant act that he acquired a stigmatization for was cheating on his wife. Stigmas are contagious. Once one
Cited: Curra, John. Being Deviant. In the Relativity of Deviance. By Curra. Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage Publications, 1999. pp. 21-37 print Goode, Erich. Introduction: The Significance of Extreme Deviance. Extreme Deviance. By Goode. Los Angeles: Pine Forge Press, 2008. ix-xx print "Hater." Def. N. 1. American Heritage of the English Language. Fourth ed. Web. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hater Moses, Tally. "Self-labeling and Its Effects among Adolescents Diagnosed with Mental Disorders." Social Science and Medicine 68 (2009): 570-78. PsychInfo. Web.