How Ditching Social Norms Guarantees Failure, Not Freedom

The American society has witnessed a progressive withdrawal from the idea of externally perceivable norms that define what is acceptable and unacceptable. This is a sea-change as it is not about one set of conventions replacing another; it is the near-absence of norms from our culture. In the past, norms were expressed to ensure decorum and civility among people. It also demonstrated respect and appreciation for others or for places of hospitality.

Since the late 1960s, there has been a loosening of societal norms leading to the creation of a distinction between elite society and “the masses.” In affluent neighborhoods, the heavily tattooed, the eyebrow-studded, the inarticulate, and the badly dressed are identified by the local residents and staff as “not belonging.” This phenomenon demonstrates that the jettisoning of standards has resulted in the creation of a quasi-caste system in which opportunities for the underclass are limited by language, behavior, and physical appearance.

The abandonment of standards has not been imposed from above. It is a cultural spin-off of the wider anti-establishmentarianism of the late 1960s. However, being non-judgmental, or “nice,” equates to the acceptance of all forms of fashion, art, music, personal identity, and language, which has resulted in a coarser, more unattractive, and more confrontational culture than before.