Deviance

It’s funny how social norms affect us. In the society we live in, we have an unspoken rule on what is and what is not accepted. We determine these things. We are the ones who set these standards.

Those who follow these rules are what we call the normal people. On the other hand, those who do not are what we call abnormal or social deviants. It is we who label them based from the social standard of behavior we set.

I remember this lesson very well. Ricky has rehearsed quite well for this class. He was full of passion as he delivered his powerful lines and catchy phrases in our SA21 class back in college.

In a gimmick last Saturday, I was amazed with how I reacted to a simple act of deviance by the people at the table next to us. Normally, I’d just shrug it all off and mind my own business. But I guess it was because I was in a social dance with her friends and was in a lookout for a good topic of conversation (and, probably, bonding).

As I was listening to the discussion, I can’t help but notice the people in the next table. A nice couple (with their yaya?) ordered red wine and poured it in their wine glasses. What really made me stop was when the waiter brought them ice and they placed it in their glasses.

At that moment I was wondering if it was me who was drinking it the wrong way, that maybe it’s supposed to be served on the rocks.

It didn’t stop there. The couple asked for a straw! They were drinking their iced red wine with a straw! An order of sisig would’ve been the clincher!

If you’re going to think about it, there’s really nothing wrong with the picture. The couple is really just having some fun on a Saturday night. Deviance is a social construct.

Novelino on the rocks, anyone?