Deviance as the act of doing something that is outside the norm

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Deviance

Deviance is the act of doing something that is outside the norm. It is doing what the society does not expect of you. Crime involved doing something that is against the law. Behaviour that is linked to deviance in most cases can not be termed as a crime because the expectations of the society are not documented as law. Therefore, going against the expectations of the society can not be considered a crime.

Tiger Woods is a great sportsman who has broken the world record in golf. He has won many awards and is an icon to many who admire his sporting abilities. He is a rich man and the combination of his gender, race, ethnicity and nationality make him different from other people (Ferrante 256). Tiger Woods is married to Elin Nordegren and is a father of two children and therefore the society has set out norms that he is required to follow to fit into the society. He was involved in a scandal in November 2009 where his car crushed just outside his house at about 2.25 am. According to the article Tiger Woods injured in minor car accident the car crush was very mysterious and the truth about what happened that night before the crush is not well understood. The Florida highway patrol termed this incident as a crime because in their opinion he was driving recklessly. Though his recklessness was not tied to drunkenness, he was not subjected to a test to ascertain that he was not driving while drunk. This is a crime because reckless driving is against the law.

Speculation concerning the crush of his car was that Tiger Woods had employed the services of prostitutes and exotic dancers. He could have crushed his car in the drive way because he was running away from his wife who had confronted him concerning the allegations. Elin Nordegren came out of the house rushing with a golf club with which she broke the window of the car and pulled him out (Tiger Woods injured in minor car accident). After this scandal, many women came out in public claiming that they had affairs with Tiger Woods.

Employing the services of exotic dancers and prostitutes is not considered a crime in the eyes of the law though it can be termed as deviance. Tiger Woods is an accomplished sportsman who is a role model to many. He is also a married man and a father and because of this, he is expected by the society to follow some norms of the society. He is required to be faithful to his wife and be a good father to his children by being a good example to them. Tiger Woods is considered a deviate by the society by being unfaithful to his wife and not respecting the institution of marriage. This is bound to have negative publicity on him because he is not following a set of behaviours that the society expects of him.

Tiger Woods reckless driving that caused an accident is a crime. Driving late into the night during Thanksgiving a holiday that he was supposed to spend with his family is a deviance because it is not against the law if he chose to be somewhere else. The fact that Tiger Woods employed the services of prostitutes and exotic dancers is a deviance and not a crime.

The government and the Criminal Justice system should clearly define the difference between social deviances from crime to avoid the confusion between the two. Many people do not know the difference between deviance and crime and incidences like the one of Tiger Woods can lead to major scandals which would otherwise be avoided.

Works Cited

Ferrante, Joan. Seeing Sociology: An Introduction. USA: Wadsworth Inc Fulfilment, 2010.

Tiger Woods Injured in Minor Car Accident. CNN U.S. November 27, 2009.