Collective Behavior, Deviance, and Conformity
- A sociological perspective of conformity/deviance of the Black Lives Matter.
Deviance is the act of violating social or institutionalized code of conduct while conformity relates to following certain norms. However, social norms are different in various cultures, and deviance might either be positive or negative. Conformity or deviance leads to collective behavior, where people voluntarily engage in non-institutionalized activities (Franzese, 2015). In collective behavior, people might exhibit actions that neither conforms nor violates the social norms. Moreover, collective behavior occurs spontaneously from a group of people whose actions do not correspond with the laws and institutions‘ norms. The Black Lives Movement (BLM) in the US is one of the movements that take the form of collective behavior.
Neil Smelser’s (1962) explained collective behavior with the value-added theory. Certain conditions must exist to spur collective behavior in a crowd or a group. One of the conditions is structural conduciveness, where people know their challenges and have the opportunity to assemble and voice their concerns (Smelser, 2011). The activities of BLM can be described by structural conduciveness where the blacks are aware of their problems. Through the social media activities of Opal Tometi, Alicia Garza, and Patrisse Cullors, most blacks have understood how racism is ruining their lives (Day, 2015). The death of various teenagers in the hands of the police and the recent death of George Floyd in Minneapolis demonstrated how racism is entrenched in the US. Through different BLM chapters in the country, people have learned how blacks are being mistreated (BLM, 2020). Moreover, the mobilization of BLM has enabled blacks to gather and advocate for their rights.
Smelser added that structural strain where people’s expectations are unmet instigates tension. The death of Floyd in the hands of Minneapolis police was a continuation of acts of police brutality in the US. Blacks such as Mike Brown, George Zimmerman, Breonna Taylor, Stephon Clark, and Eric Garner are some of the major cases that have raised eyebrows in the US (Chughtai, 2020). Despite the agitation by BLM to fight against police brutality, the police have exacerbated their heinous acts. Floyd’s death instigated structural strain where people felt that nothing is being done to end police brutality. The whites and the blacks joined together in demonstrations across the world to condemn racism. The generalized belief is that there is systemic and structural racism in the US. In the recent demonstrations, people burned down statues, torched police stations, and demanded a complete change in the US (Deng, & Lussenhop, 2020). Therefore, the many demonstrations held due to the death of George Floyd showed that people’s expectations were not met.
Additionally, the demonstrations against the death of Floyd have shown deviance against the US social norms. In most cases, demonstrations are peaceful, but in Floyd’s murder protests, people were violent. This can be explained by the emergent norm theory, where people’s behaviors change according to the circumstances they are facing (Tahmasbi, & De Vreede, 2015). People were fed up by the continuous violation of the black’s rights by the police. The social norms of respecting the statues of American heroes were also violated during the demonstrations. BLM followers wanted to destroy anything linked to racist individuals. Nevertheless, this deviance by the blacks was instigated by the actions of rogue police officers.
- The Black Lives Matter Movement in Robert Merton’s Conformity/Deviance Theory.
Merton developed the strain theory and argued that people’s deviance or conformity depends on their access to socially acceptable ways (OpenStax, 2017). According to Merton, the lack of quality education and jobs pushed people into crimes to achieve the American dream. Since social goals are classified as success and material wealth, people engage in misconduct to achieve them. The protests organized by BLM is a demonstration of the rebellion that Merton explained. When people are unable to achieve certain social goals via socially acceptable means, they rebel against cultural goals. In the US, systemic racism has denied blacks equal opportunities to advance their education and careers. Inequality has left them languishing in poverty in some of the dilapidated neighborhoods. They cannot achieve the American dream through legal and socially acceptable means.
Therefore, the blacks gave embarked on nationwide protests to end racism in the country. Racism has denied most blacks an opportunity to excel in life. Some have even died in the hands of police who perceive blacks as dangerous criminals. Since blacks cannot achieve the American dream via the socially accepted means, they have turned to rebels against the government. In Minneapolis, protestors burned down a police station to demonstrate their anger against racist systems. The blacks perceive the police as a stumbling block to their success due to the continued cases of police brutality. The rebellion and protests organized by BLM will continue if racism will not stop. Due to the growth of social media, people get real-time information and will continue agitating for change whenever their rights are violated.
I feel that I am part of the BLM movement due to the acts of the rogue Minneapolis police who killed Floyd. Floyd’s death pushed me to support the BLM activities since I felt that they were justified to protest against police brutality. I will deviate from the norm of abiding by the rules if racism continues in the US. I believe that we are all equal, and when one’s rights are violated, we should all condemn the perpetrators. It is sad to see the blacks dying in the hands of police officers who disregard the law by taking unarmed civilians’ lives.
References
BLM (2020). Black Lives Matter Chapters. https://blacklivesmatter.com/chapters/
Chughtai, A. (2020). Know their names. Black people killed by the police in the US. https://interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/2020/know-their-names/index.html
Day, E. (2015). #BlackLivesMatter: the birth of a new civil rights movement. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/19/blacklivesmatter-birth-civil-rights-movement (2015):1
Deng, B., & Lussenhop, J. (2020). George Floyd’s death: What US police officers think of protests. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53159496
Franzese, R. J. (2015). The sociology of deviance. Charles C Thomas Publisher.
OpenStax (2017). Introduction to Sociology 2e. Rice University (2017):pp.146
Smelser, N. J. (2011). Theory of collective behavior. Quid Pro Books.
Tahmasbi, N., & De Vreede, G. J. (2015). A study of emergent norm formation in online crowds.