Deviance on a Global scale

As a globalized society, are we promoting the common success-goal of wealth accumulation while many are institutionally restricted from achieving such a goal through sanctioned means? If so, are we subsequently promoting "deviance" on a global scale?

I believe that we cannot simply talk about the world-wide common successful goal as the accumulation of wealth. Like you have mentioned the example of those owners of guesthouses in South Asia, there are places where success seems to not be put in belonging to a higher class. I believe that there’s also a movement where success is seen in how “happy” a person is. This scale of happiness definitely differs among people and may include financial success for some people, however, it can also include factors like finding one’s true love and building a family or following one’s dreams and doing what you love. I’ve noticed that all of these different factors add up differently depending on the person and form “happiness” which is an indication of success. This is why I don't believe that the global society as a whole is promoting the common goal as accumulation of wealth. In this sense I also believe that maybe no one is restricted from achieving the common goal because, if people can gain “happiness” in their own individual way they each has their own means to do so. For example, a person born in the county side who find happiness in living healthy with his/her family is not restricted in achieving this goal like they would be if his/her goal was the accumulation of wealth.

I think that a large portion of the globalized society is in fact promoting the common success-goal of wealth accumulation whether we want it or not. We are almost always socially conditioned to accumulate wealth without even noticing and this is because we are taught from a very young age that we are supposed to finish high school and go to university in order to get a good career. By doing this, we are told that by our parents, teachers, etc. that we will be successful. This transition from post secondary education to future career is taken for granted and we assume that this is how our life is supposed to be. Even though we may individually have different ideas of what “happiness” is, which equates to our “success”, like having a family as Kami mentioned, in order to get that “happiness” we must accumulate wealth because nothing in life comes for free. One’s good health for example is interconnected with their wealth, to have children and a family and for that, you need to accumulate money and so on. At the end of the day our globalized society is driven by our economy. Therefore, I would say that we are promoting “deviance” for people who don’t have the means to receive education or take any of the institutionalized procedures to accumulate wealth.

I agree with Sonia's comment. The harsh reality is that people are more wealth driven when measuring success. Wealth is also an accumulation of material goods that we acquire or in the case of us UBC students, it is also a measure on how easy our education is for us. There are some students who work 2/3 jobs and also balance their courses and others who have enough means to pay for their education without having any job. Our drive to obtain a post-secondary education is so that we can get secure jobs, that pay for the standard of living we as individuals desire to acquire.

Indeed, a solid synthesis makes itself available in terms of discussing "cultural goals" as Merton describes them: wealth accumulation is arguably a cultural goal in any state who conducts or who has been affected by imperialism, and who lives under capitalism, but it is absolutely worth taking into consideration (critically though, in many cases) how other goals exist either alongside, or against the cultural goal of attaining wealth. For example, being "happy" is arguably also a touted cultural goal in Canada, but it can either run contradictory to or right alongside the goal of accumulating wealth depending on what "happiness" is defined as. Happiness is arguably informed by having wealth for many or at least limits how much happiness an individual can gain access to.

Honesty, I believe that we are subsequently promoting "deviance" on a global scale, even without a notice. The common success-goal of wealth is so deeply embedded in our daily life that almost no one could escape from it. Wealth become one of the most significant standard to evaluate people's success. In order to earn a relatively higher social ranking, one has to take the post secondary education, in order to get a better paid job. I totally agree with Namra's point. UBC is a good example for this. One of the reason why many students chose to study in UBC is because they believe that attending UBC could to some extent guarantee that they could get a good paying job and "success" in the future.

I believe that as a globalized society we are promoting wealth accumulation as a goal to a certain extent. However I also agree with Kami that this goal cannot be extended worldwide. I think the divide between the Global North and South is a socioeconomic one in which development and thriving economies are a part of, and thus the goal of wealth accumulation plays a major role. In our society I do think that individuals are socialized to attain higher education that will place them on a path towards a successful career in order to accumulate wealth and higher status. Deviance comes in when individuals fail to achieve this cultural goal by not adhering to these institutionalized means. Through deviance comes the social stigma held against individuals unwilling or unable to partake in the achievement of this goal. It is also important to consider how deviant behaviour is not the same in all cultures and differs depending upon what a particular context or society holds as their cultural goals.