extent to which a substance is considered acceptable
Question 1
The extent to which a substance is considered acceptable varies between societies. Alcohol has been classified as one of the dangerous drugs that people take. Right from the health effects to the problems caused to the social structures, alcohol has not been a wise choice for many people. However, alcohol use is acceptable in several communities as long as the users are adults. Therefore, considering alcohol use as a form of social deviance might not be considerate of the larger part of the definition of deviance. Some levels of alcohol use may, however, be considered as deviance. For example, where society has chosen to abstain from alcohol, an individual who decides to drink alcohol in such a society might be considered to have deviated. Cases where alcohol-use is considered a deviant behavior are, however rare. Alcohol use can even be used as a way of winning acceptance to a society where everyone takes alcohol. Therefore alcohol use does not necessarily amount to socially deviant behavior.
Response to Breanna
As Breanna has said, alcohol use is legally acceptable for adults. Human deviant behavior will not be acceptable by the law because the law is always made from the societal norms. However, in events where alcohol is the root cause of illegal activities, the law might be twisted to list alcohol use a form of social deviance. As long as alcohol use is maintained under the legal boundaries, alcohol use is not deviant social behavior.
Response to Saria
What Saria says is similar to what Breanna had discussed. Branding alcohol use as a deviant behavior would be an extreme decision. However, activities that come along with alcohol consumption could be branded as deviant behaviors because society expects an adult to consume alcohol responsibly.
Question 2
Marxists and other radicals do not appear convinced with the work that sociologists have done to define deviance. For example, sociologists have been concerned with minor cases of deviance, whereas society has been forced by circumstances to accept ideas that would have been considered as deviant. For example, the economic system should not be accepted as a socially acceptable ideology. The idea behind the economic system is that two different classes are in operation. The first class is a group of individuals who are growing wealthier by exploiting the second class of people who are growing poorer. Society should not tolerate individuals who take advantage of becoming reacher by making their counterparts poorer. However, society has been forced into accepting the economic system, and sociologists do not consider such behavior in their studies. Also, capitalist ideologies tend to place workers as instruments to be used by their fellow human beings in creating wealth. Capitalism has also been termed as deviant behavior by Marx. However, the arguments by Marxists and others also suffer from the weaknesses that are shown in the arguments by various sociologists. Branding the economic system and capitalism as deviant behavior would only mean that the benefits that come with the two are ignored.
Response
The difference in social classes has truly led to a difference in the definition of deviance. For example, the upper class is associated with lawmaking. Therefore, the chances of upper-class individuals deviating from the societal norms are low. Also, the judgment given to the different societal classes varies, and the lower class individuals are subject to harsh criticism for social deviance. The Marxists and other radicals are against the separation of social classes when defining deviance.
Reflection
The research and documentation in different fields are classified into disciplinary perspectives. Several disciplinary perspectives exist with their relevance spanning across fields (Lusch, Vargo & Gustafsson, 2016). Some examples of disciplinary perspectives include economics, political science, and Geology. Economics is a disciplinary perspective that deals with the way goods and services are produced distributed and consumed. Political science deals with the issues of governance where society is analyzed, and all the political activities are given various priorities. Geology, on the other side, deals with the composition of the underground earth and the valuables that the earth holds underground.
Offshore drilling for oil and gas lies under geology. However, economics comes in because oil and gas have value and is an item of trade. Therefore, the activities that happen around the excavation are geological activities, and then the trade relies on economics.
Urban sprawl could have a wide involvement in several disciplines. However, political science and economics appear to take the course. The basic objective for setting an urban center is for economic implications. Also, politics could be a reason for the establishment of urban sprawls.
Income inequality and border security have economic and political impacts. For example, economics as a discipline is required to stand the reasons behind economic inequalities in society. Border security could also affect the way economic activities are conducted. Politics also come into play when society requires the input of the government towards ensuring equal distribution of wealth.
References
Lusch, R. F., Vargo, S. L., & Gustafsson, A. (2016). Fostering a trans-disciplinary perspectives of service ecosystems. Journal of Business Research, 69(8), 2957-2963.