“It is the deviants among us who hold society together”. This paradox is the topic of our current paper. The crux of this paradox lies in our reactions to deviant behavior; though by and large we no longer strive for total mechanical solidarity, or social cohesion based on sameness (Conley, 2013 pg. 191), in more interpersonal settings we often adhere to, depending on the setting, looser or stricter rules of social conduct where transgressions on those rules result in a negative reaction designed to ensure that we all conform to the prescribed rules of the situation; as a result, we reinforce those same norms and define what is socially acceptable for ourselves.
For instance, if one engages, informally, in somewhat deviant behavior which …show more content…
However, even in our more “democratic” societies, this behavior is often tolerated or even celebrated; it is very common to see the country you live in as perhaps the best the world has to offer as far as your culture is concerned. Opinions are often split on this issue, as well, and not believing one way or the other or strongly in one or the other direction can all earn a stigmatizing label for a person. One who practices a flag-waving brand of “patriotism” is often shunned by those who think more “liberally”, and in return those who condemn such behavior as “xenophobic” are therefore not liked by them; those who have no opinion are usually disliked by either group for their inability to commit to one way of thinking (or rather *their* way of thinking, as may be the case), even if the reason they have no opinion is because they do not believe such things are worthy of …show more content…
In Muslim societies eating shellfish is considered sacrilegious, yet this way of thinking simply arose out of the fact that shellfish can in fact be extremely dangerous to your health if not stored, cleaned, and prepared properly. In the same and certain other cultures, pork is forbidden because the animals are believed to be unclean. For those outside of those cultures, however, consuming both products is a choice left up entirely to the individual and in some cases are tied to celebrated traditions. In India, cows are considered sacred above all other animals; they represent the circle and continuation of life. Due to the fact that India has a large population of both native Hindus and Muslims, a military rebellion was sparked because both major ethnic and religious groups were outraged at the use of rendered fat products from both animals in the greased paper cartridges used to load a new issue of rifles. They were intended to be ripped open with a soldier’s teeth, which meant that there was a possibility of even accidentally consuming the animals’ fat. It was the final straw in the eyes of the native population of India, and resulted in the dissolution of the British East India
For instance, if one engages, informally, in somewhat deviant behavior which …show more content…
However, even in our more “democratic” societies, this behavior is often tolerated or even celebrated; it is very common to see the country you live in as perhaps the best the world has to offer as far as your culture is concerned. Opinions are often split on this issue, as well, and not believing one way or the other or strongly in one or the other direction can all earn a stigmatizing label for a person. One who practices a flag-waving brand of “patriotism” is often shunned by those who think more “liberally”, and in return those who condemn such behavior as “xenophobic” are therefore not liked by them; those who have no opinion are usually disliked by either group for their inability to commit to one way of thinking (or rather *their* way of thinking, as may be the case), even if the reason they have no opinion is because they do not believe such things are worthy of …show more content…
In Muslim societies eating shellfish is considered sacrilegious, yet this way of thinking simply arose out of the fact that shellfish can in fact be extremely dangerous to your health if not stored, cleaned, and prepared properly. In the same and certain other cultures, pork is forbidden because the animals are believed to be unclean. For those outside of those cultures, however, consuming both products is a choice left up entirely to the individual and in some cases are tied to celebrated traditions. In India, cows are considered sacred above all other animals; they represent the circle and continuation of life. Due to the fact that India has a large population of both native Hindus and Muslims, a military rebellion was sparked because both major ethnic and religious groups were outraged at the use of rendered fat products from both animals in the greased paper cartridges used to load a new issue of rifles. They were intended to be ripped open with a soldier’s teeth, which meant that there was a possibility of even accidentally consuming the animals’ fat. It was the final straw in the eyes of the native population of India, and resulted in the dissolution of the British East India