Social “Abnormalities”

Fuck social norms.

What?

Are you triggered already?

Good.

I am, too.

What’s going through your head right now? You don’t think I’m going to receive any more scholarships because my name is attached to this article, do you? What if I told you that I have a tattoo on the hand I will use to shake my job interviewer’s hand. I might as well go ahead and mark that counseling practice off of my list, right?

Wrong.

I write these words out of anger. I am angry because there are people in our world who fall victim to social norms every day. Sure, you may have done perfectly on that interview, but that TikTok you made for fun at eighteen years old has ruined your reputation for good.

Reminds me of the prison to homeless pipeline.

Mess up once?

Too fucking bad.

You’re done…

Unless you’re running for president, of course! In that case, your past doesn’t matter.

Reality check: the fact that I cuss and have a tattoo (with hopes for another one in the future) doesn’t change who I am as a person. The fact that I say the words “like” and “um” during an interview doesn't make me any less qualified than the person before me.

Coming from a small town where Christianity was my only option, I grew up with “good values” because of my religion, not because of how I was as a person. When I finally started to learn for myself in high school, I realized that I actually did have a choice. I realized that I wasn’t a Christian, and hell, I was attracted to all genders! What is saddening is the number of people who give me compliments and tell me how proud of me they are (while thinking I’m a Christian).

Reality check: I haven’t been religious for almost a year now, and I’m still me.

I’m still the Sydney who loves everyone. I don’t love everyone because my religion tells me to. If religion is how you get through life’s ups and downs, then so be it. However, cussing, tattoos, piercings, gender, sexuality, dialect, etc. shouldn’t define your capabilities.

I use this example in my sociology class too often: If a person comes into an interview with all of the perfect qualities, but says “ax” instead of “ask,” (Lippi-Green 1997:97) what will you do?

There is only one correct answer to that. Give them the goddamn job.

My generation will be the one to fix these biases. Stop letting social norms control the way you live. Open your eyes and live a little. Stop making life unnecessarily harder for yourself and others.

Reference:

Lippi-Green, Rosina. 1997. “The Education System” Pp. 78-100 in English with an Accent: Language, Ideology, and Discrimination in the United States. New York, NY: Routledge.