ABSTRACT
According to Soviet interpretation, an honest, authentic, consistent Marxist-Leninist does not distinguish between the interests of the state and of the society. An adulterous alcoholic husband in a capitalist society will at best generate a disapproval and social ostracism in the neighborhood. In a socialist society the same unworthy spouse may be hauled before a judge and charged with a misdemeanor of violating the principles of the socialist way of life. In a tolerant environment these "abnormal deviancies" will be indistinguishable from what is considered lawful, acceptable, even desirable citizen behavior, e.g., political participation. The post-invasion period in Czechoslovakia is officially termed as "normalization." In the context of our analysis it may be more appropriately called "abnormalization." In contemporary Czechoslovakia some forms of what may pass for social deviance, remain beyond the punitive arm of the state: divorces abound, alcoholism flourishes, and abortions are legal.
