Resisting Social Norms Essay Sample

I once read a quote by Louise Hay that said, “Resistance is the first step to change”. While I do not deny that this statement is true, many things make this simple quote hard to achieve. When one decides to resist, one must not only consider the benefits of resisting but also the consequences that will be caused to themselves and others. No matter how easy one may make resisting look, it is difficult to resist following the rules and norms so many of us live by because of fear and external barriers that limit us from doing so.  

I believe the number one reason why it is difficult to resist following the rules and norms so many of us live by is due to fear. In an excerpt taken from Erich Fromm’s book titled “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem”, Fromm proves this when he says, “In order to disobey, one must have the courage to be alone, to err and to sin” (4). In making this comment, Fromm implies that for one to resist they must be brave, without fear of being alone or sinning. However, this is not the only thing an individual must have the courage for, they must also have the courage to face the consequences of their actions. It is difficult for one to resist if one is fearful. When someone resists, they are isolated because they are going against the grain. Therefore, if one is afraid of making a mistake or facing the repercussions of their actions (be it good or bad) they will find it difficult to resist following the rules and norms. 

Another reason why it is difficult to resist following the rules and norms that so many of us live by is because of the external barriers that limit us from doing so. In Hadiya Roderique’s story titled “The Case for Black Joy” states, “the hypervisibility of Black pain and anti-Black terror … undermines our existence, because it contains us. It becomes the only way we can be seen” (3). Because black pain was mainly displayed in mainstream media, it normalized the idea that blacks “aren’t ‘allowed’ to be anything besides downtrodden” (3). The barrier to Roderique’s resistance was the hypervisibility of black pain and anti-black terror. This is why when Roderique expressed her Black joy and went against the norm, ‘Becky’ felt that it needed to be qualified. External limitations are not always centered around the color of one’s skin, it may be one’s gender, social status, or even one’s occupation. External limitations make it difficult to resist because an additional burden is placed on the individual resisting. They are not only resisting the rules and norms but are also battling the limitations set for them by society. Due to this difficulty, many may choose to follow the rules and norms instead of resisting them.

Resisting is not an easy task. *sentence to restate thesis* It requires one to be levelheaded, strong, and courageous. Therefore, some may find it easier to follow the crowd and hide behind the rules and norms others live by because resistance is difficult. Whether this difficulty is caused by internal factors such as fear, or the external restrictions that causes one to become frustrated.