Change of Values Brings Change of Norms

Rating: 10/10 (14 March 2020)

The definition of a norm described by Robert Axelrod in his article "An Evolutionary Approach to Norms" brings me the case of Oscar Schindler when I try to understand the term. The definition is that "a norm exists in a given social setting to the extent that individuals usually act in a certain way and are often punished when seen not to be acting in this way". Well, in my view Oscar was not punished after all. Or maybe he was?
Oscar Schindler, the main protagonist who saved hundreds of jewish people's lives during the World War II time in Poland, seems as an outsider in the story or in the society where the story goes on. The story goes on in Poland, where an austrian businessman who runs a factory and needs a labor force. Thus he comes to a labor camp and gets several jew people for his factory to work. As the plot continues, and thousands are jewish people being killed, something changes in Oscar and he starts to save his jewish workers. The history of a Holocaust is bloody and terrifying, however, the story of jews who worked for Oscar Schindler, ironically, could be counted as lucky for staying alive.
Now the question of norms comes out, what kind of norms holds the story? And why I call Oscar Schindler an outlier in this story? Schindler is a rich and "not jewish" man whose beginning purpose was money and business, however, during the story, he changes his actions of using his privileged identity. Helping and saving jewish people, hiding them would count as abnormal in this story and he commits those abnormal actions and saves lives. The motives of his actions can just be guessed by me but not explained, because when it comes to the norms that powerful and key people accepted, there is no question of the "humane" and "not humane" acts since those are very subjective terms.
In "Schindler's List" the terms of norms and question of being humane contradicts, in my view. If the norms are, even temporarily only for that period of time and only in that region, getting rid of jewish people and it is considered as normal phenomena by people - the scene where a soldier shot a jew because he had "that mood of killing", - but the "being humane" is Oscar Schindler who's probably conscience suddenly got awaken. The discussion of norms and behaviour under those norms often connected to the values. In this movie's case, the values of a particular character, Mr.Schindler got changed overtime - from money and wealth to people's lives. This switch can be seen and understood by his words at the end of the film when he says " I could have get more out. If I'd made more money..Why did I keep the car? Ten people right there. Ten people. Ten more people."