Mores and culture. Aren’t Mores just a redefinition of culture?
The term “social mores” was introduced into English by William Graham Sumner (1840–1910), an early U.S. sociologist, to refer to norms that are more widely observed and have greater moral significance than others. It is like culture, but with emphasis. More meaning magnification. Like “cop killer” is worse than “killer”.
What brought this up was my having perseverating song lyrics from “Every Breath You Take” in my head for several days. I had never noticed it before since I tend to hear rhythm and intonation and have never listened to lyrics very much. It’s a hearing thing. Until recently, I had no idea what this song was about.
The lyrics are the words of a sinister, controlling character, who is watching “every breath you take; every move you make”. Essentially, it is a song about stalking, intimidation, controlling another person, implied threats.
Well, it was a very popular song in the 1980s and became a popular theme for weddings, TV shows, movies, etc. It was written by Sting and was the biggest hit of 1983.
Sting commented, “I woke up in the middle of the night with that line in my head, sat down at the piano and had written it in half an hour. The tune itself is generic, an aggregate of hundreds of others, but the words are interesting. It sounds like a comforting love song. I didn’t realize at the time how sinister it is. I think I was thinking of Big Brother, surveillance and control.”
Today this song might get you 5-10 in the State penitentiary.
Your grumpy Uncle/Brother Dave.
Weary