Another example of a folkway norm that came to mind is chewing with your mouth closed when around other people, especially at a restaurant. I know for a fact this is a cultural norm in the United States, but I'm not sure if it is elsewhere. It's considered a folkway because violating it is generally harmless, perhaps only a little awkward or considered gross to the people you're around. I learned about this norm the hard way when I was a kid. I absolutely loved to chew with my mouth wide open. My mom would yell at me and tell me to "stop smacking". She'd further it by saying that I most certainly should not do that if I'm on a date with someone. I'm chuckling as I write this, because in hindsight, it is pretty funny. But had my parents not taught me that, I would have likely learned it through a more embarrassing situation. If this norm is violated, the result is usually harmless. Someone might chuckle and tell the person their chewing is loud, or calmly say to please chew with your mouth closed.

I have an example of a norm that I have observed in very recent memory, that could be considered a mores. Trigger warning for sexual assault.

The recent case of the Cornell student who was brutally assaulted by 7 of her peers has been the number one topic of conversation on social media for the past week. I think it's obvious to most people that rape is not only a crime, but immoral to the highest degree. What isn't talked about as much is the bystanders who do nothing to intervene. The seven men who committed this violation are currently being fired from their jobs due to social pressure, but now I am seeing the 57 other members of the group chat that knew of what was going on and did nothing, being held accountable. Through intense scrutiny from the public, mainly through social media, the violating of the norm that dictates that a person should intervene or report a crime as you see it happening is now being discussed in great length. Undoubtably, people are seeing the real social and professional repercussions of not reporting a crime or intervening. Members of the group chat are being outed publicly, and shamed for their inaction. Whether doxing these people is moral or immoral is a different conversation; the fact remains, the people who sat aside and did nothing are experiencing a level of public scrutiny and shame that will undoubtably affect their lives, and hopefully make other people think twice if they find themselves in a similar situation.

A norm that came to mind when I read this passage would probably be considered a folkway. When I'm at a gathering of close friends or family members and someone invites a few new people into the group, norms dictate how these new people are greeted based on your gender and their perceived gender. As an example, if a heterosexual couple is invited to the gathering, me being a woman would mean I would either shake hands and introduce myself, or even hug the female partner. I'd introduce myself and shake hands with the male partner, but not hug them. I consider this a folkway because to me, this norm has very little to no moral underpinning, but it would indeed be awkward if I were to just be hugging every new person who entered the room. I learned this behavior from observing others, and still there are times where I'm not entirely sure how to introduce myself to distant family members. Do I shake their hand or hug them? I've actually had a few situations where I violated this norm and it was awkward, but only mildly so. For instance, I went to a music festival with some friends and I was introduced to their friends, and in this particular culture, hugging is normal. However, someone in the group was new to the subculture, and as such, I shook his hand when he went in for a hug. It all sounds kind of silly and frivolous, but this definitely came across my mind as an example of a folkway norm, one that I'm willing to bet a lot of other people have noticed or experienced.