Conformity and Rebellion
Rluksza
Conformity and Rebellion
People do it every day; following the crowd. You see it all around you; people buying the cars their friends have or people wearing the same brand of clothes as their peers in order to fit in. Conforming is a basic part of being American, and Americans are not the only ones who conform either, most societies do. The act of conforming is essentially a survival technique; it allows for anyone in a particular society to fit in with his or her peers, this will in turn reduce any threats of hostility or exclusion from the society itself. Conforming to societal norms can have many benefits. There are 3 different types of conformity; the first is compliance; this is the act of conforming to the larger majority in public while privately retaining one’s personal beliefs. This can be seen in George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant”: “The crowd would laugh at me…I did not want to shoot the elephant.” In this short story Orwell is pressured by his society to shoot the elephant. Orwell did not want to shoot the elephant it was no longer causing any harm but to not shoot the elephant Orwell would be seen as a bad individual to his society. In this case one’s personal beliefs must be taken back, if not the group of Indians would see Orwell as an evil person. This variety is often seen amongst adults complying with the rules and regulations of a job when they do not necessarily agree with its policies. This allows for the individual to maintain his or her own sense of individuality while still gaining whatever needs are afforded to them by adhering to the norms expected of them. The second form of conforming is called identification. This is the act of conforming to someone admired or idolized by the individual. This can be done to mimic that of a celebrity or other iconic figure. Teenagers often conform as a way to make friends. By wearing a certain brand of clothing they are choosing to identify themselves with any others who wear that
Conformity and Rebellion
People do it every day; following the crowd. You see it all around you; people buying the cars their friends have or people wearing the same brand of clothes as their peers in order to fit in. Conforming is a basic part of being American, and Americans are not the only ones who conform either, most societies do. The act of conforming is essentially a survival technique; it allows for anyone in a particular society to fit in with his or her peers, this will in turn reduce any threats of hostility or exclusion from the society itself. Conforming to societal norms can have many benefits. There are 3 different types of conformity; the first is compliance; this is the act of conforming to the larger majority in public while privately retaining one’s personal beliefs. This can be seen in George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant”: “The crowd would laugh at me…I did not want to shoot the elephant.” In this short story Orwell is pressured by his society to shoot the elephant. Orwell did not want to shoot the elephant it was no longer causing any harm but to not shoot the elephant Orwell would be seen as a bad individual to his society. In this case one’s personal beliefs must be taken back, if not the group of Indians would see Orwell as an evil person. This variety is often seen amongst adults complying with the rules and regulations of a job when they do not necessarily agree with its policies. This allows for the individual to maintain his or her own sense of individuality while still gaining whatever needs are afforded to them by adhering to the norms expected of them. The second form of conforming is called identification. This is the act of conforming to someone admired or idolized by the individual. This can be done to mimic that of a celebrity or other iconic figure. Teenagers often conform as a way to make friends. By wearing a certain brand of clothing they are choosing to identify themselves with any others who wear that