In a free society, who decides what is and isn't "appropriate" and why should anyone care about being such?

What does "appropriate" mean?

conservative republicans

The rich, white, old conservatives try..

I'm quite sure I'm not appropriate to most so I just define my own appropriateness....

still in the limit is what considered as a "good taste". What good taste is, varies by cultures and level of civilization.

Example: It is not appropriate to stick your tounge out to someone here, it means you are mocking the person.

In some countries it means a popular approval. Don't ask me where I forgot.

or

In USA it's not appropriate for women to go without a bikini top on the beaches, at some European countries it's perfectly normal.

YOu mean not the one who said, "I repeat, I do not have any sexual relationship with that woman"?....

no the one who said im not a criminal...Nixon aka watergate

Government.

It means the opposite of me.

Appropriate....

For me it is an epic fail with every post I make...

My expressions, my thoughts, my views, my humour, my very existance is inappropriate....


Cultural differences?


Intolerable! apparently...

legal

I think it is ok to use the word appropriate. Example: It is not appropriate to pick your nose while eating at a table in a restaurant.

Appropriate, I think, means fitting the situation. For example, it would be inappropriate to bring a ham to a vegetarian luncheon. It would be inappropriate to tell a dirty joke in a room full of children,,,,etc,,,etc,,,

I care about being appropriate simply because I do take notice that I am not alone in the world and I wish for people to behave appropriately around me and mine.

appropriate means to me how I feel. Do I feel comfortable in the situation???? If not.....its INAPPROPRIATE AND YOU BETTER BACK OFF OR I WILL NINJA KICK YOU IN THE NARDS!!!

mmmm

Aww jess.. hugs..

Its not that bad honest.. you're views are quite a lot more appropriate than you think, because of the number of them i've read while scanning the site, and people's comments regarding them.




And as for appropriate, there are rules to bring order and prevent chaos. Who sets them and why is not something i'm aware of, but its just common sense.

But if you invited a carnivore to a vegetarian luncheon would it not be inappropriate to expect them just to eat veg?...go on get out the ham you know you want to Anna x

Anna makes a good point. The posts above point out many different situations where our actions could be "inappropriate". However, the rules regarding inappropriate behavior overlap and we must also decide which level of inappropriateness has the highest priority.

Moral dilemmas result from this hierarchy. Is it appropriate to ignore widespread aids in Africa when drugs are available to slow the disease? Is it appropriate to send massive amounts of drugs to Africa to slow the individual progress of the disease so that the men who spread it can infect ten of thousands of more women and accelerate the actual spread of the disease? (just a moral example, not a political statement).

I agree with MsHarmony.... Common sense tells you what is appropriate, you just have to listen.

ap·pro·pri·ate
Pronunciation: \ə-ˈprō-prē-ət\
Function: adjective
: especially suitable or compatible : fitting <an appropriate response> <remarks appropriate to the occasion>


"Suitable or Compatible" means there are as many possible interpretations in any given situation as there could be numbers of people and opinions involved. What works for the majority usually becomes the social norm (of the moment) whether or not there are moral ideals challenged, personal rights compromised, or feelings hurt. This is a very fluid concept, in my opinion.

You have to know and understand the culture you are in to determine what is appropriate. What is appropriate in one society may not be in another. As far as "who decides"? For the most part that would be the people living in that society who have decided over a period of time.

My point was, common sense doesn't always work due to complex issues.
A guest bringing a ham to a vegetarian luncheon would be inappropriate using common sense. But would a hostess providing a ham at a vegetarian luncheon so the occasional non vegetarian could be accommodated be inappropriate? No one would be forced to eat ham and graciousness over weighs most other things in the world of appropriate behavior. Would a vegetarian who complained to a generous hostess about the presence of a ham be appropriate?