In this world, people are always on the lookout for finding their special one, whether it’s in school, college, or their workspaces. Your special ones can bump into you anytime and anywhere, from shopping in markets to attending a funeral per se. Whenever we get into a relationship, our near and dear ones are usually happy and take part in our journey with the same excitement. However, this might not be the case every time. In our society, there is a term known as ‘Taboo relationships’ which are relationships often looked upon by everyone in the community for a variety of reasons.
In this article, we will discuss exactly what taboo relationships are and the different kinds of taboo relationships that exist in civilization.
What are taboo relationships?
The word taboo means carrying out an action that is not acceptable in a particular community or communities because of the ideologies formulated through the knowledge passed down from their ancestors. These associations, if formed, are frowned upon by everyone part of the society because they do not align with their religious or cultural thoughts. These relationships often clash with morality, that is, is it right to do or not, and though morality can be different for everyone and one cannot control who they fall in love with, these people are often bashed for following their hearts rather than adhering to a set of principle ideologies laid out by what society thinks is right.
Here is a list of forbidden relationships that exist in society. These relationships might or might not be taboo in all cultures, and they also include unprofessional or unethical relationships that are deemed by society as forbidden. They are:
Incest: This type of relationship involves a man or a woman dating their real siblings who are dating people with whom they share the same biological parents. This type of relationship has been a part of society since the beginning of human civilization. Kings and queens of the previous eras used to marry their siblings to retain the purity of their bloodlines. However, somewhere along the enlightenment period, people realized the negative impacts of practicing this, whether it was because of religious beliefs or scientific findings or because of society’s own beliefs. Now, people always bash individuals who indulge in this type of relationship.
Relationship with a married person: Unions formed between two individuals in which one person is already legally committed to some other individual are considered a grave sin in many religions and people heavily frown upon such individuals. This is considered to be cheating in the eyes of the public, and thus, someone engaging in such a relationship will never be able to make their association public for fear of receiving backlash. But, in some cultures and religions, specifically Islamic religions, having a second wife or even a third one whilst still being married to the previous one is socially as well as religiously accepted. However, the man must make sure that the previous wives are aware of the existence of each other before making any such bonds.
Relationship with your best friend’s ex: Every best friend knows it is an unspoken rule to not date each other’s exes. Indulging in such practices will not only make you a bad person in all your friends’ eyes but also result in a fallout with your friend. You will be blamed for the split between your friend and her/his ex, thus making you seem like a disloyal individual, even though you might be. This is considered to be a socially unacceptable relationship that could potentially result in breaking a friendship of so many years, so if you do think of doing this, remember the consequences of this action.
Dating someone with an age gap: In society, people tend to put several restrictions on the kinds of people one can choose to date. The person should not be too black, too white, too thin, too thick, etc. , and so on, and one such factor includes age. Having a big age gap, that is, dating a person far older or younger than you is considered to be taboo. They either tag you as a gold digger or illogical. People with huge gaps are often made fun of for their choices, usually by saying they have severe mommy-daddy issues and that they are desperate enough to get that kind of love from anywhere. Even though many celebrities have broken the barrier to such restrictions, it is still frowned upon by others who have such relationships in their lives.
Relationship between a boss and the secretary: In the workplace, the role of the secretary is often stereotyped and sexualized, and glared at for allegedly provoking their bosses to cheat on their wives. People always mock two individuals who professionally must be having a boss-secretary role but personally might be dating, as they think such a relationship is just for some monetary perks, usually from the secretary’s side. Though it is not allowed in a company to date their colleagues, one cannot control where they fall in love or how. Not everyone who indulges in a workspace relationship has an ulterior motive, except maybe being able to spend their time or even live with someone else who happens to be their boss, but the society, stuck in its conservative mindset, still considers this a taboo relationship.
People need to understand that not everyone can follow the set rules and regulations formed ages ago. Humans grow and change every day hence the thinking of people also evolves every day. Being stuck on conservative ideologies like this is going to do nothing but spread hate. We need to realize that whatever happens between two individuals is their choice and we are no one to judge or even punish them for their actions if it does physically or mentally affect someone else. People in a community have the right to live on their terms without having the fear of being publicly humiliated for their choices.
title: “Taboo Relationships” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-28” author: “Lester Jung”
In this world, people are always on the lookout for finding their special one, whether it’s in school, college, or their workspaces. Your special ones can bump into you anytime and anywhere, from shopping in markets to attending a funeral per se. Whenever we get into a relationship, our near and dear ones are usually happy and take part in our journey with the same excitement. However, this might not be the case every time. In our society, there is a term known as ‘Taboo relationships’ which are relationships often looked upon by everyone in the community for a variety of reasons.
In this article, we will discuss exactly what taboo relationships are and the different kinds of taboo relationships that exist in civilization.
What are taboo relationships?
The word taboo means carrying out an action that is not acceptable in a particular community or communities because of the ideologies formulated through the knowledge passed down from their ancestors. These associations, if formed, are frowned upon by everyone part of the society because they do not align with their religious or cultural thoughts. These relationships often clash with morality, that is, is it right to do or not, and though morality can be different for everyone and one cannot control who they fall in love with, these people are often bashed for following their hearts rather than adhering to a set of principle ideologies laid out by what society thinks is right.
Here is a list of forbidden relationships that exist in society. These relationships might or might not be taboo in all cultures, and they also include unprofessional or unethical relationships that are deemed by society as forbidden. They are:
Incest: This type of relationship involves a man or a woman dating their real siblings who are dating people with whom they share the same biological parents. This type of relationship has been a part of society since the beginning of human civilization. Kings and queens of the previous eras used to marry their siblings to retain the purity of their bloodlines. However, somewhere along the enlightenment period, people realized the negative impacts of practicing this, whether it was because of religious beliefs or scientific findings or because of society’s own beliefs. Now, people always bash individuals who indulge in this type of relationship.
Relationship with a married person: Unions formed between two individuals in which one person is already legally committed to some other individual are considered a grave sin in many religions and people heavily frown upon such individuals. This is considered to be cheating in the eyes of the public, and thus, someone engaging in such a relationship will never be able to make their association public for fear of receiving backlash. But, in some cultures and religions, specifically Islamic religions, having a second wife or even a third one whilst still being married to the previous one is socially as well as religiously accepted. However, the man must make sure that the previous wives are aware of the existence of each other before making any such bonds.
Relationship with your best friend’s ex: Every best friend knows it is an unspoken rule to not date each other’s exes. Indulging in such practices will not only make you a bad person in all your friends’ eyes but also result in a fallout with your friend. You will be blamed for the split between your friend and her/his ex, thus making you seem like a disloyal individual, even though you might be. This is considered to be a socially unacceptable relationship that could potentially result in breaking a friendship of so many years, so if you do think of doing this, remember the consequences of this action.
Dating someone with an age gap: In society, people tend to put several restrictions on the kinds of people one can choose to date. The person should not be too black, too white, too thin, too thick, etc. , and so on, and one such factor includes age. Having a big age gap, that is, dating a person far older or younger than you is considered to be taboo. They either tag you as a gold digger or illogical. People with huge gaps are often made fun of for their choices, usually by saying they have severe mommy-daddy issues and that they are desperate enough to get that kind of love from anywhere. Even though many celebrities have broken the barrier to such restrictions, it is still frowned upon by others who have such relationships in their lives.
Relationship between a boss and the secretary: In the workplace, the role of the secretary is often stereotyped and sexualized, and glared at for allegedly provoking their bosses to cheat on their wives. People always mock two individuals who professionally must be having a boss-secretary role but personally might be dating, as they think such a relationship is just for some monetary perks, usually from the secretary’s side. Though it is not allowed in a company to date their colleagues, one cannot control where they fall in love or how. Not everyone who indulges in a workspace relationship has an ulterior motive, except maybe being able to spend their time or even live with someone else who happens to be their boss, but the society, stuck in its conservative mindset, still considers this a taboo relationship.
People need to understand that not everyone can follow the set rules and regulations formed ages ago. Humans grow and change every day hence the thinking of people also evolves every day. Being stuck on conservative ideologies like this is going to do nothing but spread hate. We need to realize that whatever happens between two individuals is their choice and we are no one to judge or even punish them for their actions if it does physically or mentally affect someone else. People in a community have the right to live on their terms without having the fear of being publicly humiliated for their choices.
