One of the most controversial folkways is that a young person is required to give up a seat during a commute on public transportation to a person that is a child, elderly, disabled, or pregnant. It is considered social etiquette and a person can be severely judged if they fail to follow it. There are various opinions on the issue as social norms and gender politics change. The following reflection is an examination of a deviant experience that led to a folkway violation and the resulting social reaction.
The most memorable personal experience with this issue occurred on a commute I had to endure while on a trip to New York City, one of the busiest urban centers that have many people using it is public transportation. Having gone to a conference as well, I was worn out from the trip. During the long commute back to the hotel, I was exhausted as subway as it gradually began to fill up. Feeling unwell, I refused to stand up for several older women and a mother with an adolescent child, receiving disapproving glances around me. Soon, a senior woman entered the train and stood right in front of me, apparently indicating I should get up. She seemed healthy enough to stand, so I did nothing. She began to speak to me and despite my explanation, she began a public verbal altercation. At this point, I put on headphones and refused to listen or give up the seat. While it may have been a selfish thing to do, I felt that I had the right to the seat. However, it was evident that the atmosphere was charged as people could be seen as visually expressing anger at my actions.
In my incident, I openly and publicly defied an established folkway. It was not an attempt to purposefully break the social norm, but I felt it was the best decision for me. I followed the rational choice theory that emphasized self-interest (“Rational Choice Theory,” n.d.) Folkways are an informal convention that is part of expected social behavior but is not critical or universal. No set of rules enforces them; therefore, sanctions are informal as well (Kendall, 2016). In my case, it was the public disapproval of a group of strangers. Later, I reflected that it was a perfect case of how enforcing one set of social norms could be a violation of more consequential laws. For example, the verbal provocation of the lady could be constituted as harassment, and if someone tried to force me out of the seat, it would have been an assault. Thus, people had no choice but to ignore predetermined judgment and accept my unconventional behavior.
Folkways are based on repetition in large numbers that force the societal force to behave the same way when faced with a specific situation. They become part of the cultural identity, occurring on a subconscious level. In some ways, it is a primal instinct of comfort that causes uneasiness when someone chooses to violate the norm. It is difficult to pinpoint the origins of many customs or even rational explanations as to why people choose to behave a certain way. However, folkways are bound by the necessity for improvement and consistency. If a convention becomes too tedious or contradictory to other folkways, it is eventually replaced. It is part of the complex social evolution for improvement that is challenged by various notions of societal arrangements (Sumner, 2013).
It has been shown that folkways are heavily influenced by legislation, changing social behaviors. My incident is indirectly linked with discrimination and prejudice that is associated with civil rights. Intergroup relations are based on the context. However, certain stereotypes limit quality interpersonal interaction that can be mediated through open dialogue (Eller, Abrams, & Koschate, 2017). The ongoing discussions about the etiquette of giving up one’s seat in public transportation are an opportunity for society to change its norms. While this social convention is meant to be helpful to specific groups of people that are entitled to a seat, it is often abused.
References
Eller, A., Abrams, D., & Koschate, M. (2017). Can stateways change folkways? Longitudinal tests of the interactive effects of intergroup contact and categorization on prejudice. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 72, 21-31. Web.
Kendall, D. (2016). Sociology in our times. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Rational choice theory. (2017). Web.
Sumner, W. G. (2013). Folkways – A study of the sociological importance of usages, manners, customs, mores and morals. Redditch, Worcestershire: Read Books Ltd.