Taboo

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A taboo is a strong social prohibition (or ban) relating to any area of human activity or social custom declared as sacred and forbidden; breaking of the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society. The term was borrowed from the Tongan language and appears in many Polynesian cultures. In those cultures, a tabu (or tapu or kapu) often has specific religious associations. It was a word brought back by Captain James Cook in 1777 after a long sea voyage to the South Seas and introduced into the English language.

When an activity or custom is classified as taboo it is forbidden and interdictions are implemented concerning it, such as the ground set apart as a sanctuary for criminals. Some taboo activities or customs are prohibited under law and transgressions may lead to severe penalties. Other taboos result in embarrassment, shame, and rudeness. Although critics and/or dissenters may oppose taboos, they are put into place to avoid disrespect to any given authority, be it legal, moral and/or religious.

[edit] Etymology

Common etymology traces taboo to the Tongan word tapu^[1][2] or the Fijian word tabu^[3] meaning "under prohibition", "not allowed", or "forbidden".^[3] In it's current use in Tonga, the word tapu also means "sacred" or "holy", often in the sense of being restricted or protected by custom or law. In the main island of the Kingdom of Tonga, where the greater portion of the population reside within the capital Nuku'alofa, the word is often appended to the end of "Tonga", making the word "Tongatapu", where local use it as "Sacred South" rather than "forbidden south".

The use of the word taboo drawns from tapu (meaning "not allowed") dates back to 1777 where English explorer, Captain James Cook, visited Tonga, a place he named "the Friendly Islands". Describing the cultural practices of the Tongans, he wrote:

Not one of them would sit down, or eat a bit of any thing.... On expressing my surprise at this, they were all taboo, as they said; which word has a very comprehensive meaning; but, in general, signifies that a thing is forbidden.^[4]

and:

When any thing is forbidden to be eaten, or made use of, they say, that it is taboo.^[5]

Some Solomon Islanders say that their languages have a word tabu (pronounced "ta-boo") meaning "holy", providing the word association and connection of taboo to sacred as used in the English language today. The word 'tabu' refers to places in the bush where holy spirits reside (usually marked with an object, such as a giant clam shell or stone carving) that should not be touched and are areas that should not be disturbed unless a ceremony is performed.

[edit] Examples

Taboos can include dietary restrictions (halal and kosher diets, religious vegetarianism, and the prohibition of cannibalism), restrictions on sexual activities and relationships (sex outside of marriage, adultery, intermarriage, miscegenation, sex between people of the same sex, incest, animal-human sex, adult-child sex, sex with the dead), restrictions of bodily functions (burping, flatulence, restrictions on the use of psychoactive drugs, restrictions on state of genitalia such as circumcision or sex reassignment), exposure of body parts (ankles in the Victorian British Empire, women's faces in parts of the Middle East, nudity in the US), and restrictions on the use of offensive language.

No taboo is known to be universal, but some (such as the cannibalism and incest taboos) occur in the majority of societies. Taboos may serve many functions, and often remain in effect after the original reason behind them has expired. Some have argued that taboos therefore reveal the history of societies when other records are lacking.

Certain taboos lose their stinginess over periods of time. In the United States and western countries, most people are now more comfortable than before when they discuss and explore social issues: alcoholism, depression, divorce, income disparity, personal relationships, pregnancy and childbirth and teenage rebellion. Medical disorders and diseases like cancer, polio, AIDS and suicide aren't as heavily taboo now as in the past. Certain personal things such as age, height, weight and appearance are not always shared with confidants or in public; this indicates that such topics may be taboo to some people.

Taboos often extend to cover discussion of taboo topics. This can result in taboo deformation (euphemism) or replacement of taboo words. Marvin Harris, a leading figure in cultural materialism, endeavored to explain taboos as a consequence of the ecologic and economic conditions of their societies. Taboos challenge one's free speech and individual rights to express a subject or issue in need to be addressed for the benefit, not to damage, any given society.

Also, Sigmund Freud provided an analysis of taboo behaviors, highlighting strong unconscious motivations driving such prohibitions. In this system, described in his collections of essays Totem and Taboo, Freud postulates a link between forbidden behaviors and the sanctification of objects to certain kinship groups. Freud also states here that the only two "universal" taboos are that of incest and patricide, which formed the eventual basis of modern society.

Other societal taboos to a certain extent or to some people are the issues of sex, death, racism, genderism, ethnicity, nationality, religion, politics, money, socio-economic class, sexual orientation and disability. People follow this advice of not discussing, joking about or making an issue of things that can lead to bigotry, discrimination and stigmatization of people with those social group differences. They developed as a result of concerns for civil rights, sensitivity and multiculturalism in the 20th century.^{[citation needed]}

When done as a parody or comedy, said or done by comedians, taboo topics and subject matter can induce comical reaction by the general public, without disgust or offense on what was said or mentioned about an emotionally charged issue described as mainly taboo in a given society.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Taboo and art

Many contemporary artists deal with taboo images and ideas including:

• Matthew Barney
• Maurizio Cattelan
• Damien Hirst
• Lennie Lee
• Joel-Peter Witkin
• Bill Viola
• Pedro Almodóvar
• Luis Buñuel
• Derek Jarman
• Tom Green
• George Carlin
• Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Richard Kern
• Lou Reed

[edit] See also

• Abomination
• Asemic writing
• Bias
• Censorship
• Deviance
• Faux pas
• Halal and Kosher
• Menstrual taboo
• Mother-in-law languages
• Natural law
• Naming taboo in imperial China
• Prejudice
• Prohibition
• Public morality
• Sacred
• Scottish pork taboo
• Social stigma
• Taboo issues in Nip/Tuck
• Taboo food and drink

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Stigma, discrimination and attitudes to HIV
• Review of taboos around the world and their history