Deviance

Last week in class we read the article about the Saints and the Roughnecks. The saints were very deviant in the way they acted, but because of how they were able to make excuses and get themselves out of sticky situations, they weren't necessarily seen as deviant. They were also in the middle to upper class, so they had nice clothes and they were smarter than the Roughnecks. The Roughnecks were also deviant, but since they were not very dedicated in their studies like the Saints, their crimes were actually recognized and they were often punished. Throughout the article, the social status of the two groups was often looked at as a huge factor in level of deviance that was perceived. While I do believe that money does play a role in that type of stuff, I also just think some of it is just social skills. For instance, at SHS there are plenty of people that could be placed in the Saints and the Roughnecks categories. The Saints are the ones that are able to weasle their way out of sticky situations, where the Roughnecks aren't so fortunate. I see it happen all the time. Maybe a boy comes in late to class but since he is able to "tell the teacher what he/she wants to hear", the boy is suddenly off the hook. He would be considered the Saint. But then if another boy comes in late to class and he just disregards the teacher, then the boy will get into trouble. I think if people know the right way to talk to people, then they'll be able to get themselves out of sticky situations. A lot of it is how well people are able to charm others. If you're good at that kind of stuff then well, you're in luck.