Taboo

taboo - not accepted as socially correct
I saw a definition of taboo in a dictionary, but didn’t get it.
What does “as socially correct” mean here?

Thank you!!!

Accepted within the society. For example, sticking your chopsticks vertically in your bowl is taboo in several East Asian countries because it resembles incense offerings / funeral rites.

Taking candy from a baby is not taboo, it is just objectively wrong.

Giving an even number of flowers (2, 4, 6, …) to someone is not objectively wrong, but in Russia it is a social taboo. (An even number is for funerals.)

You can also say certain topics of conversation are taboo (as in they might be a source of conflict). In certain company, for example, political discussions or religious discussions might be “taboo”. Meaning that it’s something the other party wouldn’t want to talk about, or it might end up as a source of conflict in the discussion…it’s “off limits” for discussion.

I’ll give you an example in context because I heard one today after seeing this thread yesterday.

From Part IV of ‘Death Throes of the Republic’ - Dan Carlin’s (amazing) Hardcore History podcast.

“…created the conditions where Sulla essentially broke an ancient taboo and marched on the city [Rome] with legionaries in 87 BCE. Now this had been a long-standing no-no, but once he broke it, well there was no reason for someone to not do it again…”

So, prior to this, Roman generals did not march on Rome itself - this was considered taboo.

2 Likes