The Mores (and why these strict rules are so useful)

The (unwritten) rules of the student union in the Netherlands are commonly referred to as Mores. They are:

1. If you are standing at the bar, do not stand with your back in its direction.

2. Do not stand behind the bar if you do not have bar service.

3. Close the door behind you.

4. Do not wear sneakers in the association building.

5. Do not wear your jacket inside the association building.

6. White sport socks are out of the question.

7. No messing around (kissing etc.) inside the association building.

8. Do not wear a hat inside the association building.

9. Do not use your phone inside the association building.

10. A member that introduces another member is responsible for his behavior and is required to ensure that he respects the rules.

11. No pictures or clips of whatever happens in the association building.

These rules are somehow a social code for respectable behaviour. The rules also contribute to a much more pleasant night of drinking. The rules can derived from core social principles and can be divided according to its derivation.

The rules of respect to the bartender (1 and 2)

An empty association building or 'sociëteit'

For every member of the student union there is a mandatory bar service. It is very rude to stand with your back towards the person on duty. He is providing a service for you and it is odious to repay this by rudities. Same is for the second rule as when fooling around in his workspace you are inhibiting his ability to serve beer. As you are there to drink beer and party you are simply ruining the occasion.

The rules for exemption of the etiquette illiterate(3, 4, 5, 6 and 8)

The second set of rules are a derivation of etiquette. Etiquette has been under discussion for a long time especially with new students inspired by progressive thoughts of their hipster illusion of ‘freedom’. Etiquette is very important and is going to bring you very far in life as it is a composition of generally respected behaviour. Some of these rules, such as rule number three, will seem obvious. Somehow there are people that tend to forget this. Same for four and five. I see this often in school when riff-raff attends classes they sit with their jacket on and with a hat. Once you enter a building you take your headpiece off and you hang your coat. It’s they part of the principles of socially accepted behaviour. If you think you are too good for the rules of sociability you do not belong in an ambiance of sociability.

The rules for social behaviour contributing to sociability(7, 9, 10 and 11)

In order to create an ambiance of sociability you must eliminate anything that inhibits social connections. Rule number seven and nine are to make sure people are contributing to conviviality and not to personal satisfaction or solely individual experience of positive emotion. One must, when inside the association building or when in any environment of community drinking contribute towards the communal goal of sociability. Rules ten and eleven are also part of sustaining such an environment. The elimination of attention towards anything other than social interaction can be found in rules seven nine and eleven. Rule number eleven also contributes to the fact that pictures tell a thousand words and that means when talking about something awesome, these thousand words are taken from your speech by the picture.