Howard Becker Interview Essay

Howard S. Becker Interview

Interview Ms. Baker: Hello, Welcome back to the show. We are going to have two social thinkers coming on and explain the cause of homosexuality as a deviant behavior. So let’s first welcome Howard S. Becker to the show! Hello Becker takes a seat. It is an honor to have you on this show.

Becker: Yes, thank you it is a pleasure.

Ms. Baker: How does homosexuality become labeled as deviant?

Becker: There are many approaches we have to examine that helps understand homosexuality as deviant.

Ms. Baker: What are those approaches?

Becker: We have to look at the social nature of deviant activity. Deviant behavior first has to be labeled. Homosexuality becomes deviant because it does not fit into what society labels as normal.

Becker: As I stated before “when deviant caught, he is treated in accordance with the people diagnosis of why he is that way” (Cuzzort & King, 2002, p.66). We began to stereotype people by labeling people by their behavior, their looks, the way the talk and dress. When in actually a person may be totally opposite from the way they are perceived. People are or rather before who are homosexual can function and adapt to their environment to be perceived as non-deviant

Becker: Labeling theory “asserts that labels influence the perceptions of both the individual and other members of society” (Gold and Richards, 2012, p. 144). Homosexuals began to alter their self images and street and start believing what society says. Through socialization as people come together they begin to act. We teach each other what we have learned in our social institutions. Socialization is reinforcement for society. We have religion, school, family, even the law who feels us that being homosexual is wrong.

When you have power such as law makers, the government and other entities they often feel others. What to do and what not to do. If you break the laws or rules of society you are punished and cast out. We have seen in the past how homosexuals were subjects of hate crimes. This is because labeling homosexuals as defiant because a threat to society going some form or another group must be