Boos: The Persian Kiss

      This week in sociology we talked about deviance, which are behaviors that violate cultural norms in our society. We were given a list of actions such as "two men kissing" and "someone with a tattoo." After I started circling actions that our society finds deviant I realized that a person's deviance depends on their age and wear they live. 

       For example, in some Middle Eastern and European countries men kiss each other on the cheek as a way of greeting each other. In French this term is called "la bise" and in Persian it's called "boos." Persian men and women alternate cheeks, with two/three pecks on the cheek. As a Persian, this is sometimes very confusing. Although most Persians take part in two kisses, with people I don't spend much time with I don't know whether they are comfortable with two or three booses. And with family friends that I spend a lot of time with I have to remember how many booses they expect, or else I will be stuck in a very awkward situation.

      For those who have tattoos, I feel like it's more of a generation based deviance. For example, I hope to get a tattoo when I turn 18. My parents are fine with it, and teenagers don't see anything wrong with it either, but I know an older generation may think that people with tattoos are "trashy," "hopeless," or "rednecks." In some countries tattoos are a cultural acceptance for all ages. 

      After this lesson I realized that actions are seen as deviant depending on your age, on wear you live, and sometime even your gender.