Diaz 1

Joeruel-Mae Diaz
Expository Writing 2
Mrs. Yuasa
Period 1
April 19, 2015

Speech:
Not Conforming to Social Norms Makes You an Outsider?
Isnt That a Tyranny?
Define tyranny I am guessing this is the part where everyone takes out their cellular
devices and start googling, hah. Tyranny is the cruel and unreasonable use of power or control. I
googled that. A tyranny doesnt have to be as big as the whole North Korea. It can be as small as
someone bringing down another with harmful words, or teasing another for being who they are;
just to make them feel unwanted. That is NOT how things should roll in society.
Take a look around you. What do you see? Who and what are you looking at? People;
Humans; or Homo Sapiens as intelligent scientists would say. We feel;We act; We speak. We all
have fingers and toes. We are all unique in our own ways, and that is what defines who we are.
But at the same time, WE are similar, equivalent. We come in different sizes: tall, short, wide, or
thin. We also come in different colors. And just because we are born in different places, in
different skin, with different cultures, speaking different languages, does that make us an outsider
to everyone else? Does that mean we are allowed to omit people for being different? Ill answer
that for you. ABSOLUTELY NOT. It is a very short answer that is obviously straight to the
point, but hey, it is appropriate. And any answer otherwise is absurd, we all arent perfect, which
means we wont fit everywhere. But just because we do not fit in some place, does not mean we
fit in no where. My mother always told me, Being different from the rest isnt a bad thing, it
shows how courageous you are to share yourself with the world. Everyone should be told this.
Which now brings me to my main purpose of this important speech that i am delivering.
Our society is evolving into a place where everybody can be accepted for who they are. Think
about it. Back then, people needed to conform to societys social norms, if not then they would
be shunned, mistreated, bullied, teased, etc. Does this sound fair to you? It doesnt, its a perfect
example of a tyranny. We live in America. A free country is what they say, arent i right? But
guess what, with this in the back of their minds, people who choose to show the world who they
are, were still mistreated. Judith Butler shared about a story that she heard of, about a boy with a
swish in his walk, and how he died because of the unacceptance of others. Isnt that just
horrible? Its heinous, vile, repugnant! And he was just being himself. Now define social norms.
Social norms are rules that people made by noticing what is usual and what is unusual. Keep
in mind that these set of rules arent legitly written down somewhere along with the constitution.
The way we speak or act, if it is different, there will be people who will judge. Nowadays, it is
not as bad. People who dont really conform to societys social norms, are letting their voices be

Diaz 2

heard. And that is making a difference. For the gays and the lesbians, same sex marriage became
legal in 37 states out of the 50. And this was once an issue that people could not let go of. These
different people fought for their rights, and some still are fighting. But if you think about it,
why do they need to fight for their rights when this country is supposedly a free one? If they
have freedom of speech, then they should also have freedom of being who they want to be. A
freecountry where it isnt actually free or equal is contradicting. Audre Lorde speaks of
transforming silence into language and action. That is what we need to push into society. Rid
everybody of their fear of being different. Instead of being silent and letting inequality go--speak
your mind and let your voice be heard not just for yourself, but for others who feel and
experience the same things. We need to remember that we are never alone, and we also need to
remember that we are all ONE. Not lower nor higher than anybody. We are all the same. What
would this do to our society? Make it a better place for everyone with a happier atmosphere,
thats for sure. And who knows, with everybody being who they are, it could make everyday a
better one, I am sure of it. Because society tends to follow rules and regulations to be organized
and to remain order, right? But doesnt that get boring? New things being introduced can expand
society and bring everybody together. Not only in America, but if this could happen everywhere
else--everybody accepted-- there could be no wars, and actual peace. Heck, America could even
be friends with North Korea. Anyways, back to the point. If a person dresses out of the norm,
speaks out of the norm do anything out of the norm, they should be respected, just like
everyone else. They are UNIQUE, COURAGEOUS, BEAUTIFUL, and JUST BEING WHO
THEY ARE, they are NOT outsiders, therefore, shouldnt be treated like so! There should be no
judging, teasing, bullying, excluding, or shunning. Acceptance is key to happiness. And
happiness is what everybody wishes for.

Works Cited
Lorde, Audre. "The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action." The Cancer Journals.
Print.
McLeod, Saul. "Social Roles and Social Norms." Simply Psychology. 2008. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.simplypsychology.org/social-roles.html>.
Phylosophe. Perf. Judith Butler. Feb. 23 2007. Transcript.

Diaz 3

"37 States with Legal Gay Marriage and 13 States with Same-Sex Marriage Bans - Gay Marriage
- ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.
<http://gaymarriage.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=004857>.