Who justifies cultural norms?

Question

What is considered normal, and who was given the authority to have supreme rule over what is and isnt norm? is it the majority?? so if the majority has the over all ruling of what is normal. does that mean tht the minorities "obtuse" lifestyle cannot be accept or insulted? peolple say tht homosexuality is not normal.. why? besides the bible who says it not normal?? im just confused on how an indiviual can accept societies judgment on what norm is based on the individuals personal bias. they only agree with society when it is conveint for themselves. can anyone shed some light or give a valid opinion that actually makes sense??

Answer 1

Back then homosexuality was a socially accepted thing. So yes, the pack mentality will win in the end.

However, I'm sure there are degrees of logic behind the shaping of cultural norms, and the acceptance of homosexuality is not excluded from it. For example, heterosexuals may feel excluded from homosexual privileges or celebrations (admittance into g*y bars, g*y pride parades but no hetero pride parades), seeing homosexual couples as unhealthy to a child's growth, and let's not forget about the inability to reproduce, which would then require importing kids from foreign countries (or whatever..). Such views, IMO, fuel the idea that homosexuality is unacceptable and a cancer due to its divisive effects on society.

I don't think it's really fair to say it's all about "the majority". Yes, people are sheep that love to be herded around. But it takes a smart sheepherder to know how to lead them around. So who justifies cultural norms? I'd say the person or group of persons that say the brightest things. Then the people - the majority - should they suck it up, will do the rest of the enforcement on what they believe requires to be the norm.

Answer 2

oooo i can. ppl suck! your pretty much right i think its all about the majority. universal truth is not measured in mass appeal.  

Answer 3

yes, norms are of course biased and uniquely based upon a culture's history. the majority does seem to rule over what is and isn't the norm in the general society. by definition, minorities are people who are not in power. subcultures are those who defy the norm. subcultures as a whole would consist of the majority of the population (size-wise), but since there are so many different subcultures, they do not dictate the general culture's norms. they are just too different from each other to agree upon the same norms. all subcultures have their own definition of norms too though. the more subcultures a society has, the more definitions of normal. some anthropologists argue that norms are necessary to prevent chaos in society. although, if the morals of a society change, if they come to realize that a norm is inconvenient or harmful to a group of people, the definitions can then change.

Answer 4

What is considered normal is also called common. You have to ask yourself: Do I want to be common?

Answer 5

For us in the US, there is a gentleman named Norman.  Ye checks and recheckes everything, but sending a memo to the president,