How social extremes show us social norms

When we think of cannibalism, we automatically associate it with being bad or gross. This would be an expected reaction from anyone in our society, as this is how we've been taught to think. Deviating from this opinion would most likely cause others to be looked down upon. In the article about the people stranded in the mountains, we see how they initially react to the idea of eating their dead. They're disgusted, because they should be. Or at least society tells them they should be. But once they realize that it is their only option, they begin to rationalize it. Since they need to survive, cannibalism becomes acceptable to certain members of the group. Thus, this social extreme has become a social norm.
People crave the approval of others. It's the way our society works. When you think about it, any type of social extreme could become a norm, if it was acceptable to everyone. We know that this is how different groups in society are formed. People flock to where others share their views, and their norms, because people want to be wanted, and to belong. More simply put, we shape our society through each other.