Drugs, alcohol, sex, violence, homosexuality etc. Whenever one listens to terms like these, gets a sense of jitters within their spine. Their inability to accept behaviour that violates societal norms is like dividing the world into heroes and villains.
We belong to a place where an ideology of society exists. The ideology of society is so powerful that it is similar to the hegemony of United States over the rest of the world. As per this very society we require norms, ethics, rules and regulations so that our lives thrive upon these very principles of life. It is pretty similar to the situation of a criminal who is in jail and has to follow all the instructions that are required of him to follow. And if he tries to go against the rules set inside, then one can imagine what all possible stuff can be inflicted upon him. And here I would like to relate to another situation where a man wants to break free from all these societal norms so that he can achieve revolution within himself. But if he goes against the norms set by the society then one can again possibly not imagine what all can be inflicted upon him.
The basic question that arises here is that is it wrong to question a belief that the mass follows? Is it wrong to follow what you feel is right for you and the society might think as wrong and completely unacceptable? Yes it is a very subjective term to have a debate upon but I do have a voice and I have every right to raise my voice.
Norms in terms of sociological and social psychological term have been defined as "the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. These rules may be explicit or implicit. They have also been described as the "customary rules of behaviour that coordinate our interactions with others." If one follows the norm, he is a hero and the one who defies them is a villain. It is a customary belief that being a homosexual is a crime. But doesn’t a homosexual have his own individual freedom to decide what is right and what is wrong for them. In some societies it is a customary belief that studying arts is for those who lack intelligence. We are supposed to live in a balanced out world and we need people who have in depth knowledge in the field of arts but why question the society. For some consuming alcohol is like committing a sin as it destroys your very soul.
Too many restrictions on youth lead to the phenomenon of counter culture. It is basically a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behaviour of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behaviour deviates from the societal norm. For a common man counter culture is equivalent to revolution. Past instances like the 19th century romanticism, bohemianism, and the dandy and instances like hippies in Europe and United States and anti Vietnam protests are few that define what counter culture is.
Counter culture is a kind of revolution where one has to break the current form of norm to form another norm with respect to the change of time and perspective that takes place in a society. It is essential as it allows human to move with the flow rather than being in the present, but framework of mind being in the past. As per Karl Marx, when the productive forces gain enough strength to overcome the mode of production then that leads to a change in the ideological superstructure which leads to revolution. This is what counter culture is all about. Be the change that you want to see and the society shall understand what you try to speak.
“Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn't have it in the beginning.”
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