Assignment #1 Breaking the Norm PDF

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Breaking the Norm Social norms are both explicit and implicit understandings that guide the behaviors of society members. 1. Pick ONE social norm that you want to break from the following list: a. Make eye contact when speaking to others b. Don’t invade others’ personal spaces c. Don’t pick your nose, burp, or fart in public d. Always come to class prepared with materials e. Say please and thank you when asking for something f. Don’t interrupt others when they are talking g. Do not answer phone calls in class h. Say “Bless you” when a person sneezes i. Any Others? 2. Break at least  ONE social norm over the next class period and at your home or around friends. 3. Raise your hand and call out when you believe someone purposefully broke a norm! 4. Write on your experiences: describing the norm you broke, how people reacted, how you felt breaking it, and using the terms and concepts from chapters 1 and 2, explain how you think it fits in with cultural anthropology. Consider how your identity (gender, ethnicity, and other characteristics) might have influenced your experience. a. One-page, double-spaced, Times New Roman

ANTH 120 William Lucas July 17th, 2018 Breaking the Norm I chose to break the social norm of not calling people names. When my mom, dad, or 15 year-old sister get angry, they all tend to raise their voices until they begin to scream directed at a particular person. If I'm angry, I rarely shout at someone. Instead, I usually raise voice until I cry in frustration. However, both my sister and I have always used name calling as a tactic against each other when we are angry or upset. “Brat” and “Snob” were our favorites when we were younger. In the past few years, “Bitch”, “Asshole”, and “Rat Bastard” have been the ones we have exchanged the most. As usual, everyone in my family reacted badly when I called my sister names. No matter how many times I explain to my parents I use “Rat Bastard” as a generic insult, they still say it makes me sound “stupid” when it is directed at my sister. This week, when I called Samantha a “Brat”, she responded by calling me a “Bitch”. When I explained to my family that this week I was doing more name calling this week as an anthropological experiment in participant observation, none of them were amused. I can understand why. I do not like when I am called names, but it usually helps get my anger and frustration out when I direct an insult at Samantha. Respect in general is both a culture norm and value in the United States, the Reform Jewish community I was raised in and my own nuclear and extended family. As a result of this assignment, I am more aware of how name calling affects myself and my family. Before I did it all the time and it felt natural. As a result of this experiment, I am going to try to do it less now that I realize how it breaks a norm and upsets other people....