Conformity and Non-Conformity

[CK the Fat]

So you've always been told to be yourself. Be an individual, to pursue your own goals and dreams. Basically, you're supposed to be non-conformist... just like everyone else.

However, at what point does nonconformity become rediculous? Emerson, one of the first Transcendentalists, talked about nonconformity when it came to social ideals and religion as a way to encourage toleration and spread peoples' persepectives on the matters. Thoreau focused many of his essays on self-reliance and civil government, trying to reform it so that people followed their conciences rather than the crowd.

But the original intent of transcendentalism seems to be dead--America is generally very tolerant religiously, and unlike the wars of the 1800s, warfare today is viewed very negatively (ie war in Iraq).

Is transcendentalism dead? Culture today seems to have twisted the meanings around. By being individual we just buy more expensive and frivolous clothes from the big clothes corporations. We all start writing the most freeform poetry we can come up with, because it's not like what is taught in schools. We bash the president because it's fun and popular, and are by no means alone when doing it. Granted, these are not all definite situtations, but they all do hold true in a pop culture sense.

Yes, we're all individuals--but at this time in history, what benefit does it serve? Might we be "rebels without a cause?" To what extend is transcendentalism being used against it's original purpose? Or has trancendentalism simply evolved to fit our modern commercial world?

Consider these quotes:

Emerson himself said, "Insist on yourself; never imitate... Every great man is unique." Are we imitating uniqueness?

He also stated, "I pack my trunk, embrace my friends, embark on the sea, and at last wake up in Naples, and there beside me is the Stern Fact, the Sad Self, unrelenting, identical, that I fled from." Might he have known that transcendentalism could never fully be established?

"Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better." Might seeking popularity through individuality only make you more afraid of being different?

 

[Kisa -^^-]

non conformity? isn't that the thingie with all of the whole fend for yourself? hmm....yeah. it's like moving away from the crowd, and like if u go into the crowd, you kinda are common...dead in a sense.
we learned this in school earlier this year, about emerson. yeah he said that one famous quote "nothing is at last sacred by the intergrity of ur own mind"
but yeah, i believe that it is disapearing from our world because we are becoming lazy and blending into one ugly brown color, one splotch with no unique designs of our own that just moves around earth.

 

[Square Ninja]

Non-conformity is the new conformity.

 

[Phoenix]

Then how do you become a non-conformist, if both options lead back to conformity?

 

[Square Ninja]

Then how do you become a non-conformist, if both options lead back to conformity?

Who cares?

I am appeasing the 25 character limit.

 

[Hidden]

I like this topic, for it's one that I've considered with amusement on occasion. I believe that Despair.com sums it up most admirably in stating "Remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else." And no one argues for conformity anymore, though most still practice it.

However, I will let that line of argument rest, interesting as it is. What currently intrigues me on the matter is why it is that we have this fascination with individuality--human agency, including that on an individual scale, certainly precedes Emerson. One must also look to culture, for there exists a decided difference between many Western and Eastern conceptions on the matter, and even that is generalizing the variety of views to shameless degree.

What is our fascination with ourselves?

 

[violent_anger]

all i can reply on is the last part of your post. it basicly says 'be bold' right? well to be bold would be to do something without caring what other people think, wouldn't it? being timid, on the other hand, would be to be quiet, out of fear of rejection or that you'll say something bad, wouldn't it? being bold would be not being afraid to be different.

 

[Square Ninja]

all i can reply on is the last part of your post. it basicly says 'be bold' right? well to be bold would be to do something without caring what other people think, wouldn't it? being timid, on the other hand, would be to be quiet, out of fear of rejection or that you'll say something bad, wouldn't it? being bold would be not being afraid to be different.

Uhhh...are you sure you're in the right thread?

 

[Hidden]

To attempt another issue dealing with this subject: the opening post mentions the most common urging behind non-conformity, specifically "be yourself" and "be an individual".

Precisely what alternative do we see to the above two promptings?

 

[Square Ninja]

To attempt another issue dealing with this subject: the opening post mentions the most common urging behind non-conformity, specifically "be yourself" and "be an individual".

Precisely what alternative do we see to the above two promptings?

The idea is not to let your judgment be controlled by others. You do what you think is right. If it's something the majority of the people out there did or do, so what? Does having something in common with others somehow detract from your "uniqueness?"

 

[Ysu]

Humans do not truly wish to be unique. We like being around other people and we like being accepted. If we have to be unique to one group but the same as the other, then we will do it to be accepted. Acceptance is something all people want, whether they admit it or not. To conform is to feel accepted. To go against the conformity you are alone. Either way though, everyone does keep their own differences that keep us from being a bunch of robots.