Start Is there something you would like to say? Is class almost over? A Guide to Raising Your Hand in Class Do you just like to hear yourself No. No. No. talk? Yes. Yes. Yes. No. Yes. No. Great! I hate you. Keep your hand down. Would others benefit from what you have to say? Congratulations. you may speak without annoying your classmates. Is class almost over yet? Yes. Yes. How about now? No. Informal norms are often unspoken and taken for granted, yet we rely on learned principles to decide how we (and we hope others) should proceed, as this cartoon humorously demonstrates. Leviathan A Russian man struggles for justice against an oppressive system. Ajami A collection of stories taking place in a Muslim–Christian neighborhood in Tel Aviv. Caramel A comedy following the lives of five women working in a Beirut beauty salon. Persepolis An animated coming-of-age film set during the Iranian Revolution. Departures An unemployed man violates Japanese norms by becoming an undertaker. on CULTURES Movies OUTSIDE THE U.S. 5 on a government agent who used such methods to convict an organized crime figure. In our culture we tolerate killing another human being in self-defense, and we actually reward killing in warfare, as was evident in the celebrations that followed the death of Osama bin Laden. Acceptance of norms is subject to change as the political, economic, and social conditions of a culture are transformed. Until the 1960s, for example, formal norms throughout much of the United States prohibited the marriage of people from different racial groups. Over the past half century, however, such legal prohibitions have been cast aside. The process of change can be seen today in the increasing acceptance of single parents and the growing support for the legalization of marriage for same-sex couples. When circumstances require the sudden violation of long-standing cultural norms, the change can upset an entire population. In Iraq, where Muslim custom strictly forbids touching by strangers for men and especially for women, the war that began in 2003 has brought numerous daily violations of the norm. Outside mosques, government offices, and other facilities likely to be targeted by terrorists, visitors must now be patted down and have their bags searched by Iraqi security forces. To reduce the discomfort caused by the procedure, women are searched by female guards and men by male guards. Despite that concession, and the fact that many Iraqis admit to or even insist on the need for such measures, people still wince at the invasion of their personal privacy. In reaction to the searches, Iraqi women have begun to limit the contents of the bags they carry or simply to leave them at home (Rubin 2003). Sanctions When norms are violated, we can usually expect a response designed to bring our behavior back into line. If a basketball coach sends a sixth player into the game, we count on the referee to call a foul. If a job seeker shows up for a formal interview in shorts and a T-shirt, we predict that no job offer will follow. If we park without putting money into the meter, we should expect a ticket. In each of these cases, some form of negative repercussion results from our failure to abide by expected norms. Chapter 3 / Culture • 57 the police, you are violating the norm of minding your own business while at the same time following the norm of assisting a victim of domestic violence. Even if norms do not conflict, there are exceptions to any norm. The same action, under different circumstances, can cause one to be viewed as either a hero or a villain. For instance, secretly taping telephone conversations is normally considered not just intrusive but illegal. However, it can be done with a court order to obtain valid evidence for a criminal trial. We would heap praise
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