Norms

Norms are those unwritten rules that generally get followed depending on the culture. They are behaviours or ways we operate not because we HAVE to but just do it anyways.

For example, H1N1 lines. People stay in the lines in Canada. They might not somewhere else. There is no law saying you have to. We could push all we want. HOWEVER, there are cultural sanctions that take place such as getting disgruntled looks or in the case of the Flames jumping the lines, people get fired and the situation was strongly frowned upon by the media and general public.

I notice that in this sociological perspective course we take a step out of our little cultural bubbles and try to be unbiased about what we see. It almost appears that when we do that however, we tend to look at our own practices from a negative perspective and call it critical thinking. We step back and ask "Why do we do that? Who said we have to do that? Other cultures don't do that." It's almost a rebel stance. We become that teenage girl or boy saying "Well if that's what I am supposed to do, then why don't I do the opposite. There is no law, I can do whatever."

I think it is important to look at the positives and the negatives equally. Let's keep looking at the lines example.

What might be some negative perspectives on this practice? It might look silly, this long queue all the way down the street. It doesn't get you anywhere any faster. It might get you there even slower because some people break the norms and "budge". If supplies are limited why should you have to wait behind someone else if you might lose out.

What might be some positive perspectives on this practice? It reduces stress among crowds. At least in Canada, we seem to have these space bubbles where out of common courtesy you don't step over someone's personal boundaries. There is an element of politeness. Patience is seen as a virtue with our predominantly Christian backgrounds.

So I can see both sides of the story. But I think its better to create a calming environment. In this respect, I find our norms to be positive and useful in our culture and society.