So what do you think of when you hear the word “deviant”? Does a disturbing image of some ugly pervert come to mind, a toothless, long-coated Aqualung stalking the schoolyards with bad intent? Do you think of homosexuals? Rapists? Fetishists? How about religious fanatics, or Communists, or people who claim to like to eat tofu? Or do you just think of the odd little boy in junior high who talked to himself and had no social skills whatsoever? Are you a deviant, or is everyone else?

The word deviant is defined by www.m-w.com as follows: “to stray especially from a standard, principle, or topic” or “to depart from an established course or norm”. If you take the side roads instead of braving the freeway like everyone else, you are deviant by definition. But what if you like the side roads? The traffic is lighter, and the view is certainly more interesting. It may take you longer to get to work, but in your mind that’s a fair trade. There is something deeply satisfying in bucking trends and conventional wisdom every once in a while, and something noble in doing it on a regular basis. When visiting one of the local stores that doesn’t have traffic channeled through one-way electric entrances, I find myself going “in through the out door” or “up the down staircase” just to thumb my nose at what is considered to be normal. These examples I’ve cited may not strike you as deviant. Is that because they don’t hurt anyone, or infringe upon their rights? Probably. Is it because they don’t bother YOU in particular? Most likely. We have a tendency to define these types of things for ourselves, and consider them before we take on the societal definitions. Pretty selfish, aren’t we? Hmmm…or maybe just human.

One of the things I enjoy about being deviant is that no one else is doing it at that particular moment. I assert my individuality that way, and by doing so I get a nice healthy ego supplement, sort of like taking a multi-vitamin. It makes me feel nice, and I’m not hurting anyone, right? I might get an occasional stare every once in a while, but those are sometimes fun as well. I can’t tell whether those disapproving sniffs and clicks of the tongue are because I have actually offended someone’s behavioral code, or because I simply had the small bit of courage it takes to stick out in the crowd for a second, and they don’t. Sometimes I really don’t like what’s going on, and I am compelled to step back from the edge of the cliff as the other lemmings gleefully plunge over it.

There are some standards of society that, generally speaking, should not be disturbed by our self-centeredness. For example: if you really don’t like to bathe or use deodorant products, you probably don’t need to take public transportation or frequent restaurants, and you don’t really have a right to get angry if several people tell you that you stink, or simply throw up in your presence. There are other standards that have been around a long, long time, and haven’t really changed too much. These types of standards have found their way into LAWS (insert “Law & Order” sound effect here). These laws guarantee members of society protection from anyone who wants to be really, REALLY deviant. If I don’t like you, I can ignore you, or I can tell you what I think, but I can’t kill you (even if it’s a really good idea), because that is against the law.

So where the hell is all this going, you ask?

There is much talk in today’s world about things or people going “too far” in terms of some sort of standard. I touched on some of this in an earlier entry. Nasty song lyrics, people running around with little or no clothes on, or just having the nerve to emphatically state unpopular or politically incorrect opinions. Laws that define community standards and legal rights are being freshly debated in this country. Judgments are being rendered in cases of deviancy from the norm. In some cases, the legal and moral norms are being reshaped and redefined, and this profoundly disturbs some people.
I have stated heretofore that I am basically a political conservative. That is true in the strictly political sense. I believe in the power of the individual to determine their own destiny, and that there should be the least possible government intrusion in that process. This applies to both sides of issues of governmental intervention in our daily lives as far as I’m concerned. I don’t believe that government should define what is and is not moral, nor do I believe that it should abandon all responsibility to keep order in society.

Majority rule should apply in all cases. If more people like “it” than dislike “it”, then “it” should happen and government should not stand in the way, period. If you’re on the short side of that argument, there are steps you can take to make your life better without screwing with my liberty and my peace of mind. Influence your elected officials to try and see your point of view, and act accordingly. If they don’t, fire them in the next election and get someone who will. If you are profoundly shocked and disturbed by what you believe is immoral, make ever concerted effort to reach out and persuade the hearts and minds of those that you believe have strayed. Just don’t expect your government to do it for you...it’s not its job. As far as the unelected officials (judges) go, they should apply and interpret the laws on the books, not create law themselves and usurp the will of the people in the process.

I think that normalizing the deviant takes a lot of the fun out of everyday life. If everyone goes in through the out door, it ceases to be an out door. And in that case, who are we to make fun of the individual who actually goes out the out door? Both doors work the same way…the only difference is the sign. If everyone in the world stopped bathing except me, it would still smell very bad...and I would continue to bathe because, in the final analysis, that’s just me. I like it that way. Do your thing and be happy, but do not presume to try and shove it down my throat. If I like it, I will partake with you; if I don’t, I will walk away. I may even try and persuade you to my point of view, but I will not nail you to a tree trunk just so you can enjoy my shade. That’s your call, people. If we’re both lucky, someday we’ll run into one another on the path less traveled by...before they turn it into a freeway.