ABSTRACT
If normality and deviance are indeed independent then the “normal” majority are free to disapprove of the deviants. Heavy drinkers of alcohol are condemned, but moderation is beyond criticism. Obesity is bad, but average weight is socially acceptable (even in overweight populations). Football hooligans are deviant reprobates, but, in a market economy especially, less conspicuous aggression is usual and actually encouraged. In each case the population as a whole disowns the tail of its own distribution: hypertension, obesity, alcoholism, and other behavioural problems can then be considered in isolation.
