Departing From Social Norms Can Lead to Progress

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Departing from social norms could lead to a magnitude of progress. Social practices have a way of dictating what to do and how to react to certain situations. An institution sets rules to be followed and challenging such norms is termed disobedience. Society, including media, is used to portraying the black community as a sad one so seeing them happy seems like a way out of order. Sharing black joy might seem like resistance from the social norms but will have a positive effect on the whole American society. Adam also had to disobey God to be set free from pre-human state to human. Therefore, leaving social norms can lead to many forms of progress for humans.

Resisting the ruling power may seem like disobedience but can result in major human development. For the African Americans, resisting the negative norms of sadness demand sharing more joy with the black community. However, it will take more than individuals to yield positive results. The artistic and media communities need to spread black joy to change the black practice of celebrating sadness and pain. Such actions would communicate the diversity of black, the need to take space and claim their belongings. According to Roderique, sharing black joy “would create spaces of opportunity, possibility, and affirmation” (4). This quote affirms that resisting negative social norms yield positive results. Therefore, if it takes resistance to achieve progress then in this case resistance is good.

Acts of disobedience, although may seem wrong at first when they set in freedom, they are assumed right. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, they seemed to have been corrupted by sin (Fromm 1). However, the sin or rather a disobedience act transformed Adam from pre-human to human and that is progress. The text mentions that it is until the Messianic prophets came to earth they confirmed that the act of disobedience was right that people understood the concept.

Humans have continued to evolve and develop through acts of disobedience. It is through questioning the authority or set social norms that a man can prosper. Fromm says that obedience to rules or practices of a community or institution is submission and shows denial of autonomy (2). Consequently, humans are stuck in one place while submitting to the set norms. However, the moment a man challenges the rules, he is termed disobedience but then finds progress. The decision to submit or disobey is a decision to stagnate or develop.

Following rules and social norms set by the community is like agreeing to the dictation of the superego. According to Fromm “Super-Ego represents the internalized commands and prohibitions of father, accepted by the son out of fear” (3). Fear is known to set boundaries and limit the abilities of people. Social norms are set to limit human abilities and it is only by separating from them that a man can prosper. If Roderique, when shared the happy post about Black Panther allowed fear to limit him, she would not have written the excerpt. She would also not have written to call for black society to publicly share the joy and break the social norm of the sad black community.

Disobeying set social practices is a psychological process that must entail the willingness to sin or make a mistake. Going against such norms will be termed immoral and rebellious thus one must toughen up. People can only become free of social practices by learning to say no to power. When a man frees himself from power and is psychologically free, he or she can develop positively.

Works Cited

Fromm, Erich. “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem.” pp. 1-5, Web.

Roderique, Hadiya. “The Case for Black Joy.” pp. 1-4, Web.

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