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TABOOS and SOCIAL NORMS- ARE YOU A SHEEP? “Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd; Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard” (Donnell, Nakadate, Pfordresher &Shoemate, 1979, p.594). Although the question is absurd we should think about it: How much free are people in their decisions and behaviours? Rules, rules and rules…Look but don’t touch, touch but don’t taste, taste but don’t eat…The society leads individuals like sheep by using social norms and taboos as a cudgel.Sýnce humans are intelligent creatures there is no need social norms and taboos. People must be free in their mind for the sake of individualism. First of all people must show their characteristics freely and break down taboos if they are useless or irrelevant for them anymore. If one accepts all the rules of society without any questining he or she would become an “unknown citizen” (Donnell et al, 1979, p.594) and lose himself in the society by forgetting his personality.Every person is different so noone has to share the comman thoughts of society but society chooses to punish deviations. Infact couse of the punishment which society apply to a deviant is to envy this person since the other members of the group desire secretly to do the same thing. Taboos are forbidden things and also(so) very attractive (http://visit.geocities.com, Dundar,C.,19.05.2003).
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