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Reality Check

Consequences of Normalizing Deviant Behavior

It’s shocking that in 2022, some people still harbor disdain for the fact that gay folk exist and desire the same freedoms as straight folks

By Tammi Fisher

Civil rights marches of the past were peaceful protests against racial and gender injustice. Some of those protests went awry when bullies decided to use force to tamp down peaceful demonstrations. In a state where “Oro Y Plata” could easily be replaced with “live and let live,” it’s hard to rationalize why anyone would interfere with a peaceful and legal demonstration by using physical force. If I don’t like what my neighbor thinks or does, I don’t interfere unless my opinion is requested or he impacts my property. I can’t fathom physically harming someone because they have a differing viewpoint from me. Recent events indicate those of us who embrace “live and let live” are becoming the minority.

When a pack of alt-right wing whackadoos decides to load up into a U-Haul in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, to interfere with a Pride Celebration, the gasp heard around the Mountain West should ring as loud as my voice when I belt out George Strait tunes. It’s shocking that in 2022, some people still harbor disdain for the fact that gay folk exist and desire the same freedoms as straight folks. Ironically, the same folks that wear “Don’t tread on me” T-shirts seek to tread on others who don’t share their viewpoints.  

The same shock should pulse through our veins when we see cancel culture leftists protesting Supreme Court justices at their homes – versus the courthouse steps – based upon the perception of a forthcoming legal decision. They seek to bully (or kill off) conservative justices and are inspired to do so by high-ranking government officials. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer carelessly stated at a courthouse protest that conservative justices “will pay the price … you won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.” There can be only one “price” Schumer desires the justices to “pay” since their jobs are lifetime appointments for which no impeachment can occur related to legal decision-making. Schumer takes zero personal accountability for these inciting statements. Instead of holding Schumer accountable, his supporters run towards equivalency, downplaying Schumer’s words as “not as bad” as statements made by former President Donald Trump.

The antics in Idaho hit a little too close to home. Both the far left and far right are bullies, seeking to cancel anyone with an alternate view. Both express fear through anger. Voters used to keep these bullies out of government. When voters began to embrace and elect those with low emotional intelligence over statesmen with a modicum of self-control, we normalized what should otherwise be shocking and deviant behavior. When deviant behavior is normalized, deviance increases. Increased crime and mass shootings are expected results from a society whose leadership embraces deviant behavior. And the fault ultimately rests with us.

Tammi Fisher is an attorney, former mayor of Kalispell and host of the Montana Values Podcast.