Meanings of Conventional

By | April 10, 2022

Originating from the Latin word conventionālis, according to abbreviationfinder.org, conventional is an adjective that alludes to that which is linked to an agreement: that is, to an agreement or a pact. The concept can also refer to what is established by tradition and what is not very original.

For example: “Analysts warned that an unconventional war is developing in the Middle East”, “The authorities decided to eliminate the roundabout and build a conventional crossing”, “The winning book is a conventional novel, without innovative elements”.

There is a conventional dress style to go to a restaurant.

Emergence of the conventional

The conventional many times arises from a custom and, in this way, refers to what respects the principles, values or norms that are accepted by the majority. A conventional wardrobe for a man who decides to dine at a restaurant in Argentina, to cite one case, could include jeans and a shirt. On the other hand, a swimsuit is not part of the conventional wardrobe for this type of occasion.

It is important to clarify that conventions can be positive, negative or neutral, although the fact that a series of customs or rules become conventional is not in itself good or bad, but rather a phenomenon that occurs naturally as a result of the way in which which we organize ourselves as a society. The problem begins when a convention oppresses a group of people, just because they don’t share their ideas.

If we go back to the example of the dress that is conventional in a restaurant, it is easy to understand that it is not something “good” but the way in which the men of that country usually dress when they frequent these establishments; therefore, we could not accuse someone who decides to wear a T-shirt, shorts and sandals of being a “criminal”, since his behavior does not cause any harm to anyone. However, some stores may turn you away simply on the grounds that your dress is unconventional.

In the field of sentimental relationships, the notion of conventional can give rise to discriminatory conduct.

Gay love

Here we enter a rather rough terrain, since conventions are often used to stigmatize those who do not support them, labeling them as immoral people, vandals or perverts, among many other appalling qualifications. The examples of this new version of the witch hunt are numerous today, but among the most prominent is the repudiation of homosexuality.

A relationship between two people of the same sex is considered unconventional in many parts of the world, as is their union in marriage, which is condemned even more severely. Homophobia triggers terms such as “indecency” and “perversion”, and supports its ideals with physical and verbal violence towards homosexual people, attacking or killing them, banishing them and forcing them to live in marginal neighborhoods, among other appalling consequences that are applied according to the country and time.

The conventional couple is believed to be made up of a man and a woman; whether this is true or not, we should not give “conventional” the nuance of “acceptable” or “correct”, since in this way we annul in a fraction of a second the validity of millions of ties, of millions of lives.

The conventional in various fields

Conventional weapons, on the other hand, are those traditionally used in warfare, such as machine guns or missile launchers. Other alternatives, such as chemical weapons and biological weapons, are defined as unconventional.

A conventional privilege, in this framework, is one that is granted through an agreement signed with the privileged party. A conventional retraction, on the other hand, is a retraction (a right that allows someone to acquire, for the value of its price, something sold to another) that is instituted by means of an agreement in a sale transaction so that the seller can recover the good sold.

Conventional