In Defence of not Defending Deviance
My prior post mentioned an entry by tatjna that sparked discussion about privacy and deviance. One result was the idea that interested parties should blog about deviants, picking a particular deviant behavior to discuss. The focus was on sexual deviance and the attitude was around how we're all "deviant" in one way or another. Kind of defending deviance or reclaiming the word. Titles like "We're all Deviant" imply that deviant is really something a little different than you might think.

I get the idea. I understand the power in reclaiming a word used as a slur against you as something positive. I've seen it done with the word Cunt and always thought it was amusing and, yes, empowering.

However, I don't see the need to reclaim the word deviant because, despite the word's frequent misapplication (someone with blue hair? not deviant*) the connotation of "bad, wrong, not what we want in our society" is still perfectly valid. What we need to do is not reclaim the word deviant, but redefine it.

For example, as a society we are getting more tolerant toward differences in appearance, culture, and even sexuality. Sure, not everyone's on the bandwagon yet, but calling a modern tribal, immigrant Muslim, or gay man a "deviant" is becoming less common and less acceptable. And despite my feeling that change comes too slowly, population attrition will take care of crossing most of these groups off the deviant list.

But I think our society will always have deviants that that's as it should be. In part because some behavior IS wrong and in part because it gives us a clear bucket for ongoing discourse about what that behavior is. Sexual deviance is easiest to talk about, probably because there are common names and well-understood definitions for most sexual behavior.

I can think of a list of things right now that are, and should stay, high on the deviant list. Anything outside the realm of ADULT and CONSENSUAL, for example. I call deviance with its full negative connotation -- and I doubt many would disagree with me. Likewise, a game of "escaped convict and the wardens wife"** played by committed adults in their own home? So not deviant.

But you have to admit, between those two extremes is a huge gray area. Reasonable and reasonably tolerant people might choose to draw those lines in different places, and with a fair degree of subtlety. So, to make an example of myself, these are the things I consider deviant sexual behavior (off the top of my head, there may be more):

Non-adult
Non-consensual
Harms an animal
Necrophilia
Scatology
Infantilism

For the above with clear victims (the first three), I say that the act is criminally deviant. For the above without victims (the last three), I say that the act is psychologically deviant (it implies that the person's psyche is highly damaged and they need help). There are areas where I'm unclear about possible deviance. If it's a bad thing for someone to cut themselves from despair, is it equally bad to cut for pleasure? Maybe not, but I haven't exactly pondered it. I also draw the line between what someone might fantasize about and what they actually do. Actions count and we have control over our behavior (if we don't have a good measure of control that's another kind of deviance).

You may disagree with my list or want to add a lot to it. In either case, we'll always have some things that we consider deviant behavior, that we either create laws against (pyromaniac? go into demolition or design fireworks, don't set fire to houses) or simply disapprove of (you want to do that stuff, fine, do it in the privacy of your own home). And deviance is a perfectly good word for those things. When you align with the "deviant" you align with some pretty nasty characters with some pretty despicable behavior. Let's find another term for the funky, the kinky, the Pagan, the leather, the fandom, the geek -- one that reflects the respect in which they hold themselves and the respect that they deserve. "Perfectly normal, thank you very much" is one that I like.

* unless they're over 80 -- blue-haired grannies are deviant as all hell
** from an old episode of M*A*S*H, the Hub and I used it as a euphemism for the kind of light kink and role play that otherwise vanilla people engage in