Blog Post One: Who is Deviant?

Where is it that American children obtain ideas about what is “normal” versus what is “deviant”? Children’s television shows are oone source for this. As the following critical analysis demonstrates, deviancy is often ridiculed and frowned upon within children’s programming.

A May 1994 “Rugrats” episode, titled "No More Cookies", depicts Angelica as a deviant, binge-eating cookie addict. When she eats too many cookies and gets ill, her cousin Tommy hides cookies from her. Tommy’s persistence that Angelica should not eat the cookies is perceived in a positive light because he is not giving in to her addiction. This episode relates to an idea that Sara Lageson points out in her article, “Media Binge”: Binge eating is often “framed as a lack of self-control that required only greater personal discipline.” It is thus because of Angelica’s lack of self-control that she needs an outside force (Tommy) to stop her from eating the cookies. This episode demonstrates that over-eaters are perceived as deviant due to a lack of self-control.

Angelica Pickles. Photograph. WeHeartIt. Web. 22 Jan. 2012 <http://data.whicdn.com/images/6350318/tumblr_leqb5vCN6Q1qzagdho1_500_thumb.jpg>.

In the 2011 iCarly episode “iLost My Mind,” Sam checks herself into a mental hospital after she realizes that she has a crush on her friend Freddie. There are many cliché images of mentally-ill patients throughout the episode. One patient manically claims he is from the future. Other patients in the hospital are shown as just as abnormal; they are dressed in over-the-top outfits with crazy hair, repeating words over and over to themselves. Viewers perceive the patients as deviant because their eccentric actions are different than people who are not patients. This particular group of deviants is “subjected” to the “social control” within mental hospital, separated from others as a safety precaution for the rest of society (Pfohl 13-14). These cliché images of mental patients reinforce their supposed instability, emphasizing that people in a mental hospital are deviant compared to the healthy ideals of American civilization.

2011. Photograph. Nickutopia. Unrivaled Media Group, 23 July 2012. Web. 22 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.nickutopia.com/2011/07/23/ilost-my-mind-promo/>.

A female’s tough attitude is deviant in the 2010 “Good Luck Charlie” episode titled, “Boys Meet Girls”. When pre-teen Gabe comes home with a black eye, his sister Teddy goes to school to investigate his bully. She is shocked when she sees that it is a girl bullying Gabe. “You’re the kid that’s been pounding my brother? But you’re a girl!” she says. Teddy’s surprise at the bully (named “Jo”) being a girl demonstrates that a girl acting aggressive is deviant in American society. Throughout the episode, Jo’s deviance is proven in relation to the other women on the show. These women are overtly feminine: They do yoga, take care of the children, and are afraid of breaking a nail. Jo, however, conveys more masculine traits: She is rude, sarcastic, and physically tough. This play between feminine and masculine traits shows the emphasized femininity in American society as a polite, caring woman (Williams). Anything outside of this realm, like Jo’s aggression, is consequently deviant.

Bradley Steven Perry and G. Hannelius on Good Luck Charlie from the Episode 'Boys Meet Girls'. 2010.
Photograph. TV.com. CBS Interactive Inc., 10 Oct. 2010. Web. 22 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.tv.com/shows/good-luck-charlie/viewer/?flag=1&i=36&gri=77559&grti=101>.

The 1996 episode of Hey Arnold titled “Helga’s Makeover” also relates to the topic of gender deviance. When Helga isn’t invited to a make-up sleepover, Arnold asks his friend Gerald why he thinks she wasn’t invited. “She’s a girl? Oh, yeah,” Gerald says dully, as if her masculine habits of spitting, bullying, and burping make her no longer female. Gender norms are defined by her female classmates, who are polite and enjoy make-up, unlike Helga. The informal sanction (Becker 1-2) for Helga not being overtly feminine is that she isn’t invited to the sleepover. Like “The Male Privlege Checklist” points out, men can be aggressive without being questioned. Because Helga is an aggressive female, however, the legitimacy of her gender is doubted and she is thus labeled deviant.

Photograph. Aiming Low. 13 Oct. 2011. Web. 22 Jan. 2012.
              <http://aiminglow.com/2011/10/up-childrens-television-unibrows/>.

Children’s shows often mock certain behaviors and groups, potentially hoping to teach lessons about what is right and wrong. These messages can instead end up belittling children are who different (deviant) from the rest of their classmates (the norm). This is one way through which norms and deviancy are informally conveyed in American society.

Word count: 656

Works Cited

Becker, Howard. "Outsiders - Defining Deviance." Angel. Washington State University. Web. 14 Jan. 2012.

Lageson, Sarah. "Media Binge." Contexts. American Sociological Association, 22 Nov. 2010. Web. 14 Jan. 2012.

"The Male Privilege Checklist." Web log post. Amptoons. WordPress. Web. 22 Jan. 2012.

Pfohl, Stephen. "Defining Deviance." Readings in Deviant Behavior. By Alex Thio, Thomas C. Calhoun, and Addrain Conyers. 6th ed. Boston: Pearson Education, 2010. Print.

Williams, Meredith. Sociology 360. Washington State University Vancouver, Vancouver. 19 Jan. 2012. Lecture.