Social Norm Violations In Today's Society

Norm Violations
In today’s society, social norm violations are what hold American culture, while separating us as distinct individuals. We have unwritten rules of how we are expected to behave in a certain way whether it’s in a public or private gatherings. They can change throughout time “Norms are transmitted through a process of socialization, by which every member of society is subtly trained to appreciate and follow these norms.”(Williams,2011) because of these unwritten rules we have a different minds set as time passes, if we travel a few decades back in time, the way we dress or behave can all be violations. By observing and committing a norm I have realized that the power of society pressures us to behave in a certain matter for
us to be accepted by others in which folkways, mores, and values are essential in our lives.
Folkways are norms that define casual interactions; this idea includes greetings to one another or your behavior, and the appropriate way of being dressed.
We see norms in our everyday life but ones stand out more than others. That is exactly what I wanted to do with my experiment, make everyone remember my norm by the humor and awkwardness it brings. To get a better understanding of a norm Simone Isadora Flynn states in her article that “Norms refer to conditions for social relations between groups and individuals, for the structure of society and the difference between societies, and for human behavior in general. Norms are shared rules, customs, and guidelines that govern society and define how people should behave in the company of others.” Although that there are many different types of norms the one I have committed is a folkway “Folkways refer to norms that protect common conventions. Most people in a society follow traditional folkways but failure to conform to them is considered neither illegal nor immoral.”
(Lynn)
When choosing my experiment I wanted to stand out and get everyone’s attention, so I needed to go to the most public place full of strangers in Arvin. I went to the public pools on a Saturday morning. There were many children and adults; there were 39 people in total. It was a hot day the temperature was 98 degrees and the outfit I wore was a thick sweater, jeans, boots, and a beanie to the public pools. When entering I needed to get everyone’s attention so I figured out a way. I strolled around the place for about 10 minutes then sat down on a beach chair to put sunscreen on my face. I sat back and relaxed in the hot sun with my winter clothes on, many people began to point and laugh at me because of what I was wearing. Then, I got up and walked near the pool. Immediately got everyone’s attention and a few moments before I was about to dive into the pool everyone froze and all eyes were on me. I took a step back, jumped as high as I could and dove into the pool. I took a few laps around the pool which was very tiring for me because with thick clothing on made me heavier than I was and made me sink a lot more. I could see and hear everyone laughing at me for being in a pool with inappropriate clothes on. A middle aged man asked if the water was too cold that I needed to wear a sweater to keep myself warm in there, an elderly women asked if I was on drugs, and a young child was informing me that I just needed swimming trunks while I was in the pool and not to dip in with a full blown outfit. I didn’t respond to any of them just kept on minding my own business as if I was fitting in with everyone else. After I got out of the swimming pool I went back to the beach chair to get my bag and reached for my towel. I began drying myself with the towel and keep in mind that I still had the sweater, jeans, boots, and beanie on. I wrapped the towel around my waist got my bag and left the public swimming pools as if I done nothing wrong or out of the usual. Parents thought I was crazy, kids found it amusing, and some thought I did it because I was insecure about my body. None of which are true of course but it made me realize how little people try to inform one another of what is appropriate, the young boy was the only person to do so. Everyone else just sits back and watches hoping that something amusing happens or criticizes them for being some type of psycho. This norm violation falls under folkway because I was not dressed appropriate for the activity I was participating in.
The norm violation I witnessed was at a gas station while I was working.
It was on a Friday night at 3 a.m. A man that was in his early 30’s walks in while I was ringing up a customer at the cash register, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. The man seemed to be from the Middle Eastern because of his thick beard and accent. It took him 10 minutes to rome around the store to get what he needs. While he was shopping he left everything he needed on top of the counter, and in those 10 minutes he got so many things. He bought 2 gallons of milk, 2 boxes of cereal, half a dozen donuts, and dozens of candy bars, baby lotion, Advil, and a 30 dollar lottery ticket scratcher. At first when he was ready to pay I asked why he came inside a the store wearing nothing but a towel, and he replied saying that all his clothes were dirty and his wife gave him a list of things to get for him. He made her seem like if she was very demanding and he practically had no choice but to come and get the aarons. This was a norm violation because the man was out and about in a public place wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. It is expected especially men at his age to dress appropriately when being out in public. This falls under folkways because he was not dresses
appropriate.
With my observation and me committing a violation I have come to a conclusion that norm violations and how you express your self are very much alike. Although there are different levels of it they can all relate to how you express yourself. Folkways, norms, and values are seen in our everyday life because it is what makes society and every individual unique. I do feel that norms change throughout time and society pressures us to dress or behave different.