New Rules - Save America From What?

And

Are We Really Free?

Are We Free?

I came across the above, thought provoking image on facebook today. It begs the question ‘Are we really free?’ We Americans are under the delusion that we live in a free country, therefore we are free. But we could never truly be free because we as a species are social animals. When it comes to Social Behavior, you must either adhere to the rules or go off and live out your life all alone in the mountains somewhere. (Although, an 'alone' lifestyle may seem appealing when it comes to getting away from the right-wing sideshow.)

 From day one, we enter existence bombarded with indoctrination, whether it is from religion, capitalism (corporate advertising), politics or a set of Social Norms. If we don’t follow the crowd without question, we are made to feel outlawed, outside looking in. People like Mitt Romney never have feelings that they may not belong. In fact, these types believe they not only belong, they run the place.  

Anyway,  back to the facebook image above, my first response to this picture was a quote from Janis Joplin's hit song called, “Me and Bobby McGee” the line "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose!", is the embodiment of the word freedom. We can only be free if we have no fear of losing something. This ‘no fear’, is almost impossible to achieve but that shouldn’t stop us from trying to attain it. Fear is a mental bondage that turns us into non-thinking followers (like the teapublicans who are not aware of it). As I searched for enlightenment from opinions shared on the Internet, I came across an individual’s thoughts that says it all. thinkingblue (Picture below)

FROM THIS SITE: "Freedom's just another word..."--meaning?

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-359269.html

By: Sam Stone

02-16-2006, 10:38 PM

Actually, I think it's a pretty insightful statement. When you've got nothing to lose, you can do whatever you damned well please. When I was young, single, and had no career to speak of, I could pack up and move to another city, or go backpacking on a whim, or really whatever I wanted.

Now I have a mortgage, a kid, a career, and I'm not free at all. I get up every morning, go to work, do what the boss says, pick the kid up from school, etc. And if I decide to chuck the job, I'd lose the house, maybe the marriage, family... So I'm trapped.

Not that I'd trade it away, but the fact is we give up a lot of freedom when we take on the responsibility of a middle class life. We become slaves to our commitments and to the cost of losing what we've taken years to build up.

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Social norms are described by sociologists as being laws that govern society’s behaviors . Although these norms are not considered to be formal laws within society, they still work to promote a great deal of social control. Social norms can be enforced formally (e.g., through sanctions) or informally (e.g., through body language and non-verbal communication cues.) If people do not follow these norms then they become labeled as deviants and this can lead to them being considered the outcast of society. What is considered “normal” is relative to the location of the culture in which the social interaction is taking place. Norms in every culture create conformity that allows for people to become socialized to the culture in which they live.