As the medicalization of deviance has expanded, “remedies” have multiplied. Our ‘magic bullets’ now support our norms and values of happiness, sexual potency and youthful energy, cognitive ability and appearance. We have also provided more opportunities for deviance (e.g., human growth hormone has become a street [or gym] drug and pharmaceutical companies have been fined for selling off-label HGH [anti-aging, athletic edge]). In short, we have socially constructed deviance even as we attempt to reduce the stigma of deviance.
1.Review Unit VIII (prof’s notes), text resources, Unit I discussion (sports)
2.Review C. Wright Mills (chapter 1, Unit I [prof’s notes])
3.Remember, this is a dialogue: a minimum of three to five entries is expected, first-time late entries prevent dialogue and thus diminish the benefit to you and your colleagues.
Speed Bump comic
Used with permission of Dave Coverly and the Cartoonist Group. All rights reserved. Reprinted online with permission.
4.By Sunday midnight, submit a paper that responds to this question:
How would C. Wright Mills analyze the structural sources of the trouble/issue of “juiced” athletes (use your sociological imagination)? (You will find Conrad’s critique helpful here.)
