Contravening a Social Norm - Research Paper Example

? Contravening a Social Norm Carrying flags is nothing new in this country, where flags are carriedto denote a special event taking place, loyalty, patriotism and even special circumstances that need to be addressed. However, there are flags that are not common to the eyes of the people, and some are not even known to the people for the best of reasons, but for all the wrong ones. This is especially because there is no common ground between the meaning of the flag in question, and the beliefs of the society, as well as their values, in which case, it makes it a violation of social norms. In order to violate a social norm I chose to carry the North Korean flag around campus, as I went about my daily activities, while making sure I called a lot of attention to myself by chanting pro-North Korean slogans. This was not an illegal activity, neither was it morally nor ethically wrong, just unusual, which makes it a violation against social norms and conventions. The main reason for choosing the North Korean flag is that the country is known to be in conflict with most of the countries around the world, and especially America with the most recent threats that it is currently in a state of war with America. Since there not many people, if any attempting to salvage the situation or call the world’s attention to the Korean situation, I chose to carry the flag to draw attention to the presence of the nation, and possible reasons why they would be engaging in their current activities. The most convenient time or setting in which to violate the social norm of carrying the flag of a hostile nation was during the Easter weekend, which fell at a time when North Korean propaganda announced the state of war with the Americans and their interests in South Korea. This was a convenient timing as the people were in a festive mood due to Easter, which makes the political statement awkward for many, as it is unconventional to have religious events marred with politics. The social setting was around campus, which was packed with students from different countries, cultures and political affiliations, making it the perfect venue for this gimmick. However, the main target was the lecture hall that houses lecturers on Asian studies and political science making it a near perfect venue aside from social challenge of the students engaging in these courses. I chose this venue owing to the attention it would gain raising eyebrows as most people taking the courses are into politics and are mostly Asians who want to understand more about their continent and the political culture of different Asian countries. As such, the social reason for the location was to get maximum exposure to a certain class of people, the analysts who deal with logic on such cases, and can easily pick out things that are out of place, as well as influence other on the same case. Flying the North Korean flag is a new thing for me, which made me question my motives in the first place and why it had to be this specific project. It felt uncomfortable to by trying other people’s sense of social responsiveness and how well they understood the world in which the live. This worsened my state of discomfort as I considered the effects of actions on other people and their values and beliefs as it would violate them to an unknown extent. It also felt uneasy, as I did not know what form of reactions I would receive from people who were dead against North Korea as a nation and not for its actions against other countries, and especially against their own country. This made me anxious because nothing was certain, and I was oblivious of the outcome, as well as potential perceptions of the society. During the activity, the feeling was different in terms of the thrill I felt in being different from everybody else, which acted as a driving force to push on with my activity. It was only afterwards that the feeling of the entire experience changed in that I felt liberated by going back to what is social safe and approved by following social norms such as actually staying of the flags. It also felt exhilarating to be the determinant of my own behavior, though with concerns from other, but at least I was my own person acting of own will and volition. The responses from people were varied in delivery and content, as well as their strength, as the widely Asian population was curious why I would don such a daring flag in a country that is technically at war with North Korea. Other than verbal curiosity, others practically asked questions and gathered in throngs to hear what I had to say about North Korea and about carrying the flag with me to such a daring location. The lecturers too attempted to analyze my behavior in an attempt to explain what would have led me to carry the flag around, where the said it was unconventional unless I had a valid point to raise. Most of the reactions were, however, non-verbal disapproval for having such an item in America, where the country is known to have no diplomatic ties with North Korea. The disapproval carried hand signs indicating the lack of control in the mental faculties, while others were just plain insults like the middle finger. In spite of the neutral curious reactions and disapproval, I also experienced a few positive reactions to those who thought I was attempting to be unique. They were encouraging drawing smiles, though limited, and thumbs up signs for being different. Conclusively, norms tend to dictate what behavior is appropriate for the people in a given society, where it acts as a social controller, which explain my lack of comfort in the course of experience. Social control is also the determinant to how aware one is to him or herself, as well as his or her environment as it allowed me to be overly conscious of the people around me. Socially, I am bound to follow social norms lest I be cast out for being one who does not follow the set conventions of social behavior by violating acceptable conduct. The whole activity also shows the different reactions of people, and what they think of norms since some felt it was positive to be unique by violating norms, while others felt offended to the point of insulting me. Read More