Can Contact Sports and Movie Choices Be Deviant?

There are many ways in which deviant behavior can be expressed through recreational pursuits. Among the common are recreational activities defined under the terms heterosexual deviance, drug use, and deviance in cyberspace. Thio and Calhoun (2006) give examples of all three categories. Heterosexual deviance includes sex tourism, public nudity, exotic dancing, and promiscuity. Most articles offered as examples of drug use are in reference to college campuses and include drinking, smoking, prescription drug use, and illegal drug use. Deviance in cyberspace is depicted as child porn, rapes on the internet, online pedophiles, and deception in online dating. These lists are not nearly as extensive as they get. Wikipedia offers a long list of popularly used drugs for recreation. The most popular of them are "alcohol, caffeine, cannabis, tobacco, betel nut, khat, and kratom" (Wikipedia, 2007). The Bad Boys of Cyber Space (1997) surely do not limit their list of online deviancy to sexual predators, pedophiles, and dating site dwellers. They cover an array of what is considered deviant on the web beginning with annoying behaviors from inexperienced "newbies" to violent depictions, "event crashing", online scams, and hacking (Suler, 1997). These are common and obvious routes to expressing deviance through means of recreation. It is also possible that certain contact sports and movie choices could fit into this category. This can be determined by examining criteria for what makes an event deviant by way of recreation.

Recreational deviancy could be described under close consideration of each word. Recreation is defined by the Encarta Dictionary as "an activity that a person takes part in for pleasure or relaxation rather than as work" or "the refreshment of the mind and body after work, especially by engaging in enjoyable activities" (Encarta, 2007). Deviance is described as "the act of differing sharply from normal behavior or maintaining standards of conduct, norms, and values that are in marked contrast to accepted standards." (Barker, p.118, 2003). That being said the definition of recreational deviancy would include behaviors or conduct that differ from the norm or accepted standards of and through activities used for achieving pleasure or relaxation. An example of a contact sport fitting into such category is the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bum Fights.

UFC (2006), as described in their terms, is a mixed martial arts competition. Although they claim that "no competitor has ever been seriously injured" spectators are sure to see blood, broken bones, and unconsciousness at any given event. An interview titled 'Relentless' Paul Taylors big break begins with a description of competitor Paul Taylor blocking a "blow" with his forearm. In a one word description of the consequence, "SNAP!" it becomes quite evident that the entertainment of such activities is produced by pure violence. This sport challenges the norm in that it is more graphic, violent, and less restricted than other forms of martial arts. It is a recreation in that it is watched as a form of pleasure and enjoyment. Under these pretenses this would be an example of how contact sports can fit into a recreational deviant category.

BumFights.com has taken a lot of criticism and as a result has added a "nice" clause to their advertising information. They are centered on instigating and filming fights between vagrants. Bum Fights claims that "The purpose of these videos, through satire and sensationalism, is to call attention to the global epidemics of poverty, violence, addiction, and lack of education. Fighting and violence of any form is ignorant and pathetic" (BumFights, n.d.). They follow this excerpt with the description of what is offered by way of video imaging and includes "grown men trade blows on the streets, chick fights, stunts, sick pranks, crime caught on tape, crackheads, supermodels, and the most hardcore ruckus ever filmed" (BumFights, n.d.). In reading the "media/hype" comments one can clearly conclude that the intentions are clearly to entertain not to enlighten. This is certainly a form of recreation that is considered a contact sport and is deviant. Also choosing to rent or watch such videos could also fall into the category of recreational deviance. Watching such behavior for sake of pleasure could be and is likely considered deviant.

Ones choice of movies could fit into the category of recreational deviancy. Choices depicting the previously described activity are just one example of this. Watching graphic violence, considered deviant by way of the norm, for the sake of pleasure is also than deviant. Another depiction of deviance captured on video is that of pornographic video. An easily accessible example of this is Girls Gone Wild. This is another double edged recreational deviancy in that the act itself could be considered so as could the act of watching for pleasure. The Girls Gone Wild helps to create an environment where spring breakers and partiers feel comfortable partaking in behavior otherwise considered deviant. They plaster ads on late night television and offer kind of an acceptable form of porn. The official website supports the easy accessibility, "remember, Girls Gone Wild is all real, raw and uncensored. And the only place to see it all online is right here" (GirlsGoneWild.Com, n.d.). Making such viewing discrete and accessible eliminates society's previous means of deterring such behaviors through shaming. Gone are the days when risking being caught by someone from the community as you enter the private adult room at a video store. The accessibility facto does not change the acceptability of such video viewing. It is still deviant in that it goes against the norm and it is recreational in that people do such activities in seeking pleasure and relaxation, away from work.

There are many forms of deviance that are commonly expressed through recreational pursuit. By way of definition some contact sports and video choices could fit into such category. Examples consist of, but are not limited to, UFC, Bum Fights, and Girls Gone Wild. It is commonly thought that the more suppressed human tendencies become the more wildly they later are displayed. "Contact Sports, for example, may serve as substitute acts of violence for those who are blocked from conflict expression in their work or home relations" (Ball-Rokeach, p.11, 1980). With that in mind one can conclude that the list is long when seeking examples of contact sports and video choices eluding deviance by way of recreation.

References

Ball-Rokeach, S.J. (1980). Normative and Deviant Violence from a Conflict Perspective. Social Problems, vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 45-62 retrieved on April 13, 2007 from http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0037-7791%28198010%2928%3A1%3C45%3ANADVFA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-F

Barker, Robert L. (2003). The Social Work Dictionary 5^th Edition. NASW Press, Washington, DC

BumFights.com (n.d.). Retrieved on April 13,2007 from http://www.bumfights.com/

Encarta Dictionary retrieved on April 13, 2007 from http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/dictionaryhome.aspx

Girls Gone Wild (1997-2007). Retrieved on April 13, 2007 from http://www.girlsgonewild.com/index.cfm?action=home.main&src=nav_home

Suler, John (1997). The Psychology of Cyberspace: The Bad Boys of Cyber Space: Deviant Behavior in Online Multimedia Communities and Strategies for Managing it. Retrieved on April 11, 2007 from http://www.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/badboys.html

Thio, Alex, Calhoun, C. Thomas (2006). Readings in Deviant Behavior 4^th Edition. Pearsons Education Inc., USA

UFC Official Website (2006). Retrieved on April 13, 2007 from http://www.ufc.com/

Wikipedia.. Retrieved April 13, 2007 From Wikipedia, http://www.wikipedia.org/ modified January 13, 2007.