Social conformity

Student Name Professor Name Course Date Social Conformity It’s safe to say that every culture or religion has certain rituals and traditions that may look weird or odd to the world, but these are acceptable to true believers. Some of these rituals or beliefs promote peace, silence, love, and harmony, while others prove to be extremely violent and painful. The latter sometimes causes problems like physical injuries and mental abnormalities for their believers or followers. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution has guaranteed that all American citizens are free to exercise whatever religion they have selected for themselves. Despite this boundless right, it looks like not every single religious practice is allowed in America. This is because some of them are too weird to be practiced or followed. For centuries, people practicing odd things have been banned in the United States, Canada, Europe and other parts of the world. With a plethora of religions and cultures out there, it would be interesting to know which cultures or religions or social values are actually good for nothing. The first example is that of The Lottery which is a famous short story by Shirley Jackson. This story was first published in an issue of The New Yorker in June 1948. It is described as one of the most popular and valuable short stories in the history of American literature. The story describes a fictional town of New England where people celebrate a particular festival every year which is known as “the lottery” (Löffler 9). Nearly 300 residents of this small village gather on June 27 every year in order to urge their children to collect as many stones as are possible for them. They believe that this annual event guarantees a good harvest. He who wins the lottery is given punishment, which is quite surprising for the world since we know that people winning lotteries get something good or rewards or cash prizes. However, the situation in this village is entirely different. According to Shirley Jackson, the person who wins the lottery is killed on the name of religion, and locals believe that this is good for their fields, meaning they have to sacrifice someone once a year in order to be ensured that the harvesting season will go well. This story briefly mentions how the ballot box has been stored for years in different places of the town, including a barn and a grocery store shelf. Another similar story is that of Jean Toomer. Yes, we are talking about Becky which is about a white woman named Becky who gave birth to two Negro sons. Though Becky is now dead and her sons have left, this story is memorized by many of us. When she gave birth to her first mixed-race son, the black and white community members criticized her. They also accused the man who had impregnated her of lacking self-respect. White people began calling Becky a crazy woman who is good to be thrown out of the town. However, some of the white and black community members came forward to help her. They brought Becky away from the town and allowed her to build her house and feed her baby. Becky was forced to live her life in isolation, close to the railroad tracks. Train passengers used to throw her food and scraps of papers with best wishes and prayers written on them. Those people who had helped Becky get out of this uncertain situation continued bringing her food. When her first son reached his five, Becky gave birth to another mixed-race son. Everyone knew what was going on, but no one dared to say even a word in this regard. Both of her sons grew up and became cunning and sullen men. No one could ever know if they were white or black. Eventually, Becky’s son left the town and people who once helped her stopped bringing her food because they were afraid of being killed by her sons. Basically, this story is of a community’s decision to throw a woman out of the city because she gives birth to a Negro boy. In different parts of the world, such things are happening every single day. In the United States itself, various African Americans are being given tough times by the whites in one way or the other. It is very unfortunate that people are judged based on their religions, caste, race or gender. The problem of discrimination should be solved, and it is the responsibility of governments to educate people regarding why it is integral to respect everyone without any discrimination. In North America, Sun Dance is done which involves fasting for up to four days and the chest of the participants is pierced using a skewer that remains connected to a pole known as A Tree Of Life (Kay 109). A significant number of Indians live in North America, and these are the people who perform a fast for four to five days. They are of the view that when a fast is being performed, they must enter the holy place where their chest is to be pierced with the help of a skewer which is connected to a pole. It is a kind of self-sacrifice, and no one would ever like to harm himself or herself. However, those who practice Sun Dance in secret are of the view that it is meant to purify their souls. By offering personal sacrifices as a prayer, they can benefit their families, friends and community members. In different parts of the world, Sun Dance is not only practiced but also a large nu...