The Decline of Deviance 2
The article argues that in recent decades, social norms have become less rigid, leading to a decline in what is considered deviant behavior. As a result, behaviors once stigmatized are now more tolerated, weakening the social fabric and the role of shame in regulating conduct.
Background
- This is a follow-up to Sarah Constantin's earlier post "The Decline of Deviance" on her Substack *Experimental History*. The first post argued that the range of tolerated lifestyles, opinions, and eccentricities has narrowed dramatically in recent decades.
- This post explores a specific mechanism: as violent crime fell sharply in the US (1990s–2010s), social control shifted away from policing physical safety toward policing everyday nonconformity — opinions, appearance, speech, private behavior.
- Broad context: Middle-class professional life in the Anglophone world now demands far narrower conformity than a generation ago — a trend often labeled "the great narrowing" or the rise of therapeutic/risk-averse culture.
- The title "2 Decline, 2 Deviance" plays on the idea that two positive trends — declining crime and declining tolerance for deviance — are linked, not coincidental.