Fraternities and Gangs

Gangs: Society and The Labeling Theory

There is a dichotomy that exists in today’s society between the privileged and the poor. Those who are wealthy seem to be able to commit violations and avoid punishment for it, while the poor bear the brunt of law enforcement. When you hear the word gang, what do you think of? Most likely, you do not think of a group of college students who belong to a fraternity. You think of a group of hoodlums who tote guns, sell drugs, and ruin neighborhoods. This is why it is necessary to understand the labels that society places on certain people and the effects that it has on behavior. Why are some people labeled as deviants? Who makes the labels? The Labeling Theory asks two questions: what is defined as deviance? and what is defined as a deviant? Different behaviors mean different things in certain areas, which makes deviance very difficult to define. Research has tried