32, Peralta, Hey, Don’t Blame Me Blame the Booze

Introduction to Deviant Behavior and Alcohol Use

  • Excusing Deviant Acts
      - Sociology insight: People excuse deviant acts to evade responsibility.
      - Common response: "It was wrong, but it wasn’t my fault." (Scott and Lyman, 1981)
      - External factors often blamed, such as alcohol.

  • Alcohol as an Excuse
      - Common excuse for various deviant behaviors: dishonesty, aggression, fighting, etc.
      - Focus on gender-inappropriate behaviors that violate social norms regarding masculinity and femininity.

Gender-Inappropriate Behaviors

  • Definition of Gender-Inappropriate Behaviors
      - Behaviors that defy social expectations related to gender roles.
      - Examples include:
        - Men exhibiting feminine behaviors: excessive grooming, jewelry use, or delicate postures.
        - Women displaying masculine traits: assertiveness, aggression, or emotional detachment.
        - Homosexuality, deemed deviant in society.

  • Role of Alcohol in Gender-Inappropriate Behaviors
      - Examination of how alcohol is used to justify such deviant behaviors.

Methodology

  • Research Design
      - Seventy-eight in-depth interviews conducted (average duration of 1.5 hours).
      - Participants: college students from a medium-sized public university in the mid-Atlantic region.
      - Sample demographics:
        - 71% White (N = 55)
        - 26% African American (N = 20)
        - 3% Hispanic and Asian combined.
        - 53% Male (N = 41) and 47% Female (N = 37).
        - Sexual orientation: 72% heterosexual (N = 56), 22% homosexual (N = 17), 6% bisexual (N = 5).

  • Participation & Data Collection
      - Participants recruited from sociology and criminology courses.
      - Use of flyers and announcements for study recruitment.
      - Semi-structured interview guide developed and pilot tested by the author.
      - Key topics: drinking quantity and frequency, attitudes towards drinking, reasons for drinking, expectations from drunken behavior, consequences of alcohol consumption.
      - Critical questions in the study:
        - "What does drinking and getting drunk mean to you?"
        - "What have been your experiences with alcohol?"
        - "What are your expectations of people who get drunk?"
        - "What goes through your mind when you see someone drinking or getting drunk?"

Findings

  • Use of Alcohol as an Excuse by Women
      - General Insights
        - Women utilize alcohol to justify their gender-inappropriate behaviors.
        - Alcohol provides a sense of liberation from societal norms.

  - Case Studies
    - Jenny (White Heterosexual)
      - Alcohol allows women to act outside their norm: being bold and assertive in social situations.
      - Demonstrates decreased self-consciousness and increased outgoing behavior when drunk.
    - Julia (White Heterosexual)
      - Alcohol helps women avoid societal beauty standards while drinking.
      - Suggests that drinking suppresses self-consciousness about appearance.
    - Tina (African American Heterosexual)
      - Alcohol leads to increased freedom in communication and actions.
    - Liz (White Lesbian)
      - Alcohol reduces sexual inhibitions and enhances sexual experiences and assertiveness in romantic contexts.
      - Discussion of how drinking allows liberation from societal labels attached to female promiscuity.
    - Cindy (White Lesbian)
      - Recognizes alcohol as a means to engage in perceived deviant sexual explorations without harsh societal judgment.

  • Use of Alcohol as an Excuse by Men
      - General Insights
        - Men also use alcohol to justify emotional and gender-inappropriate behaviors traditionally seen as weak or uninhibited.

  - Case Studies
    - Sammy (White Heterosexual)
      - Engaged in poetry writing under the influence, which he viewed as feminine and inappropriate for a man.
    - Steve (White Heterosexual)
      - Drunkenness allowed him to express emotions through crying, previously deemed inappropriate for men.
    - Alex (White Heterosexual)
      - Describes emotional bonding and vulnerability with friends when under the influence.
    - James (White Gay Man)
      - Recalls experience with heterosexual advances while drunk; interprets alcohol as a facilitator of suppressed desires.
    - Victor (White Heterosexual)
      - Engaged in sexual activity with an unattractive partner while drunk, leveraging alcohol as an excuse for socially inadequate behavior.

Alcohol and the Gender Norms

  • Alcohol as a Shield
      - For both men and women, alcohol serves as an excuse to bypass societal judgment over behavior perceived as inappropriate or deviant.
      - Use of alcohol allows individuals to maintain their gender identities while partaking in actions they would otherwise refrain from.

Ethical and Societal Implications

  • The reliance on alcohol as a justification for gender-inappropriate behaviors raises concerns about responsibility and accountability in social settings.

  • Potential infiltration of alcohol use into lifestyle choices and social mores, possibly normalizing deviance under the guise of intoxication.