A popular BBC article this week about a job posting for a witch reminded me of a paper I wrote in college many years ago on what sociologists call "marginally deviant occupations." So named because they are on the margin between legal and illegal, they skirt the edge of societal boundaries for acceptance.
At the time I wrote the paper, they included such vocations as stripper, fortune-teller, and carnival worker.
But as society and ethics have evolved, and the job market continues to look gloomy, have formerly marginally deviant occupations moved into the mainstream? Or are certain careers always going to carry stigma and shame, and subject their practitioners to ridicule?
At the time I wrote my paper, "fortune-telling" was essentially a con game preying upon poor and ill-educated clients. But since then, the "New Age" movement has legitimized many career paths and it is not unusual to find psychic fairs, new age bookstores and, yes, even practicing witches, in many communities. But the field hasn't become totally legitimate yet--ads for "Psychic Phone Readers" for 900 numbers can be found online and it's not clear how the employer will determine the true "psychic" skills of the candidates.
Strippers have become "exotic dancers" and the small-town carnivals which once attracted drifters and individuals with criminal backgrounds have been replaced by major business operations of state fairs and amusement parks. Even Las Vegas has gone legit: sports bookmaking is flirting with legitimacy as more states permit the practice.
Ironically, legitimate professions can have their marginal edge: ask a New York Times reporter if s/he would be willing to work for a supermarket tabloid. Even a career in writing puts one at risk for being labeled marginally deviant. The behavior of doctors is under intense scrutiny due to several highly public celebrity deaths possibly linked to doctor malpractice. Doctors and pharmacists are themselves at high risk for drug abuse. Nonprofit leaders have been caught mismanaging donations. Teachers get caught in sexual affairs with their underage students. Every week a new scandal seems to erupt from corporate, education, nonprofit and governmental sectors. This type of behavior teeters on the edge of marginal deviance and often falls into illegal behavior.
Around tax time this year, Business Week online described the boom in opportunities for tax preparers, as well as the lack of regulation in the field and the potential for incompetence and fraud among tax preparers, noting that most states have more stringent licensing of beauticians than tax preparers.
The acting profession offers high unemployment rates even in good times, and its practitioners are used to taking jobs that will pay bills-- whether a film will go straight to DVD isn't always the main concern when money is needed. The rationalization is that actors want to act, so they don't worry about the venue. The truth is, though, that there is a career ladder in the film industry and reality TV is considered one of the lower rungs.
Reality TV opens up a whole new world of marginal careers. When does being a train wreck become a job? What is it like to live your life for other people's amusement and entertainment? Are the people who do this really laughing all the way to the bank, as some have said-- or is the internal psychological toll ultimately more damaging? How do you cope with exposing your life for the world's examination and potential ridicule?
Nadya Suleman, aka the Octomom, received much scorn for reportedly considering reality TV options. But, really, what are the money-making and career options for Ms. Suleman, given the choices that she has made in her life so far? At one time she waxed rhapsodic about finishing her master's in counseling (Nadya, have you checked the average salaries for counselors recently? You can't support 14 children on that.) A typical career with a typical work schedule and a typical salary simply won't work for someone in her situation.
Exploiting one's personal life for money is not new. During hard economic times, entertainment serves as a valued distraction from the day-to day reality of our lives. The Octomom obsession isn't really a surprise and runs an interesting parallel with the Dionne Quintuplets during the Depression.
And, interestingly enough, that's where marginally deviant occupations function in many individual's lives. In some cases, they are the last refuge for individual who cannot find employment elsewhere due to criminal records, dire economic straits, high unemployment or a lack of marketable skills. In the midst of this is the need to put food on the table and in an economic crisis, people will do what they need to do even if it means taking a less-than-perfect career path.
Ironically, it's not unusual for those engaged in marginally deviant, even criminal, behavior to transition into a job that exploits their powers for good, so to speak. Hackers are regularly hired by traditional computer companies to develop powerful safeguards from other hackers. Safe-crackers have been hired by security firms and mediums are used by police departments. In some cases, laws have been enacted to keep criminals from profiting from their crimes by writing books, etc.
So this economy may lead some people, regardless of their profession, down that slippery slope to marginal deviance, although hopefully not into true deviance or criminal behavior. What is going to be more interesting is, as the economy improves, what will be the psychological consequences for those who worked in the marginally deviant occupations?
Psychological studies reveal that practitioners in marginally deviant fields use rationalization and neutralization ("oh it's not so bad") to calm the cognitive dissonance that comes from behaving in a manner which is contrary to their true nature. Many use denial and role-taking as a way to cope, which will get them through the crisis period, but what about the aftermath? Will there be a psychological hangover, or even a new type of PTSD response, when people are able to return to more legitimate professions?
Quite frankly, I look forward to a time when I have to answer questions about transitioning from a marginally deviant occupation to a legitimate one.
That will be a sign of true economic recovery.
