Conformity In America

In Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World, Huxley creates a futuristic world governed by conformity and submission to society. Citizens of this World State are conditioned to follow a set lifestyle determined at birth in order to create a stable civilization. However, there is still some form of individuality in each person, specifically in the characters Bernard, Lenina, and Linda. Within each of these characters, their difference in personality does not fit the norms of society, and they therefore try to suppress their own traits with unique methods such as soma. In times of sadness and despair, Bernard, Lenina, and Linda each give up a part of their own individuality and ideology, sticking to the

Many individuals is faced with the decision of conforming or choosing personal desire, and it is not an easy decision. It is hard because being shunned by others for being different is not a good feeling. Choosing to conform over personal desire, often leads to loss. On the other hand, personal desire is what sets others apart and gives them joy. In the poem, “The Jackhammer Syndrome”, Al Purdy discusses the good and bad memories he has experienced. He goes through his memories of when he had fun and made mistakes, but he reflects on what he could have done better. The author of “The Jackhammer Syndrome informs against choosing the welcoming joy of conformity over the long-term gains of personal desire. Making the decision to pursue conformity over personal desire may seem easy at first, but if the choice is to conform, the joy it gives will not last. Making the decision to pursue conformity over personal desire Conformity may seem to give joy at first, but it does not last. When Al is playing pool with his brother, he wants to win badly, but losses. However when he did not care to win, Al wins! Conforming can lead to loss but personal desire has much to gain. If the choice is to conform, personal identity may be lost. In my life, I recognize several instances in which I found several similarities between Al and myself. I have made decisions that were not always good ones such as swimming across long distances with friends.

As readers, we see how the analysis of conflictive themes has been taking over literature scenarios. When reading between the lines of certain books we can perceive themes such as conformity and rebellion. Mostly these themes can be seen in writings from times of social upheaval. According to The Oxford Dictionary, the word conformity means “behavior in accordance with socially accepted conventions or standards”, while rebellion means “the action or process of resisting authority, control, or convention.” These terms create a constant battle among societies. A certain amount of conformity needs to exist in life in order to avoid disorder. This is the reason society has laws, rules and expectations. Literature represents life, and these themes can be found at the root of many literary works. Conformity can also be considered as silence. This silence is based on the restrictions of real feelings and thoughts in some literary pieces. During the sixteenth century, the emphasis on conformity was at its height. Works of literature from this time period have often reflected a fascination and frustration with this particular characteristic. People do not want to be restricted in terms of expressing opinions and developing certain activities. When facing oppression, denial of their freedom, they rebel, and that contributes to the part of the process of change in society. Not all kinds of rebellions are rationally fundamental, but when they are, it can transform society for the

An American culture of strict conformity accounts for the rise of the phenomenon known as the Red Scare, as well as its widespread nature and prominent power. The Red Scare was complicated and a result of many different aspects of American culture. However the American culture in the 1950’s was one of strict conformity. This conformist society, created in the late 1940’s was created by many early discoveries that uncovered Communist members as Soviet spies. There arose a prevalent belief that anyone who thought differently was unpatriotic. This conformist nature of American society thus resulted in few organizations fighting for social justice. The Communist party therefore attracted a wide range of liberals from different aspects of life. Joseph McCarthy himself, along with many other governmental officials, was able to institute anti-communist laws and practices under the pretense that an unwavering conformity was the American goal. The conformist nature of American society in the 1950’s created one of the most powerful anti-communist crusades and allowed for a dominant Red Scare.

“Group conformity scares the pants off me because it’s so often a prelude to cruelty towards anyone who doesn’t want to-or can’t-join the Big Parade.” The style of text I have chosen to focus on is individuality, as I believe that uniqueness of an individual is essential for freedom. Through analysing the texts Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Equilibrium by Kurt Wimmer, Blind Faith by Ben Elton, The Machine Stops by E.M. Foster and I Always do what Teddy Says by Harry Harrison. I have noticed that societies are being controlled through the idea of conflicts and religious symbolism and conformity, which are prominent in all the societies. The intent to trigger us of the dystopias that could arise in our world today is prominent. I have also

Beginning in the 1950s, the culture of the American people transitioned from a period of differing personalities and work patterns during World War II into a decade of strict conformity common to American society. The aftermath of the war created a postwar culture that pressured American society into adopting a lifestyle of middle class affluence. American people that aspired to this ideal typically went through school, married their high-school sweetheart, obtained a middle class job, produced many children, and grew old and died. Although many American citizens were conditioned to follow these cultural norms, a group of counterculture activists, including the “Beatnik culture,” arose in this time of social conformity. J.D. Salinger, a

Most people may feel that the melting pit that brought forth new races and culture gas had a hand in the united states of america to a new standard which diversity ad individuality are encouraged more that uniformity ad conformity; however it can be argued that america encourages uniformity more. Likewise, "One person in society has gone great lengths to downplay his difference to better penetrate the '"establishment"' of the moment"(Lui). To assimilate into the moment of society, Lui downplayed his true ethnicity to be seen as white and not asian . This established moment that society dwells in fails to recognized shows uniformity and conformity is being encouraged because the society feels that by accepting other races and sharing cultures

Although stereotypes may not always be negative, stereotypes can lead to prejudice and/or racism through the inaccurate beliefs of some people about the social and cultural beliefs of others (Stuurman, 2004). The tragic consequences of these predisposed assumptions are that

Perceptions and stereotypes are very important aspects of human socialization. They help us decide what is and isn’t appropriate to say, do, or otherwise bring up with others. In the TED Radio Hour,“Playing with Perceptions”, Paul Bloom explains that the problem is not stereotyping itself, it’s how it can be applied. Having preconceived notions about groups of people can often help one navigate life, but while our subconscious’ intentions may be good, often we apply these stereotypes in a rude and offensive manner.

We have all been stereotyped at a point of our lives because of the “groups” we were born into, like our gender or nationality. People identify Arabian Americans as terrorists because they are middle eastern. Others assume that all Mexicans came to America illegally. It is predetermined that girls can only become nurses, not doctors. We commonly categorize people into groups that society has a popular belief about. Society associates these individuals into groups we think we they should be in. We make judgements about someone, taking their identity away before even meeting them. It seems as though stereotypes are used so we can justify our racist behaviors and attitudes.

Since I was little I have been told what is “right” and what is “wrong” in the world as a member of the society. According to my parents there are certain behaviors that are accepted in society such as being a good citizen (not causing any trouble, being a good student, being friendly, etc.) But then again, the question is: are all these actions being done because we really want to do them, or is it more because is what society thinks is correct to do? Growing up in a society that is constantly telling people how they are supposed to dress, how they need to behave, or even what music is okay to listen to can cause societal conformity, and it can bring negative effects in some people who conform to society. People should not conform to the norms

Before people can appreciate, respect, and diminish the fear of different cultures; the representation of stereotypical views needs to eject from the media's portrayal. Cultural groups in U.S. Society need to have an unambiguous perceptive of what stereotyping means and how it appears. Namely, history, the media, and movies demonstrate stereotyping, and over time, it becomes part of a narrative and anticipates negative perceptions of minorities. Various cultures categorize as being wrong, evil, untrustworthy and deviating from the norm of the dominant culture. The inclination continues in several areas with bigotry and prejudice leading to violence and discrimination. Stereotyping regularly comes about because of prompts, biases, and fanaticism.

Social norms in America have been underdeveloped, the result of these short comings have lead to a variety of of groups of people being oppressed by another group, using the American justice system to justify their actions. One group in particular, the African American negro has fallen victim to the injustices time and time again; lynching, burning down homes, segregation and etc. Through this writing the message will become evident the American government has development to afford equal opportunity to every American citizen, The social oppression has shifted to a larger group, the “working class”. A variety of people whom differ in race, creed, color or gender, as the African American negro suffered a great deal of oppression in the past America is undergoing development to further the African American negro within American society. As the “working Class” can be described as the people working full-time to provide a basic lifestyle, many “working class” families live in low income neighborhoods, which contain high crime rates and low performing schools. As the influence of the civil rights era became widely discussed, the African American negro was allowed equal opportunity in American society.

In Society today, and individuals past experiences can alter their perception of in many ways. Many of these experiences can lead an individual to stereotypes that lead individuals from a culture that is known by society to be more dominant to mistreat members from a minority group. Our judgments are overflowed about gender, attractiveness, and socioeconomic on a daily basis.

Towards the end of the article the authors discuss one main issue that involves the spreading of the “unfortunate by-product” stereotype (Lindinsky 621). As explained, this means that once our minds are fixed on these typecast that are associations with certain categories it becomes easier to comply with. In other words, having a pre bias judgment about a certain person or group can sometimes makes us aware of that particular culture and help us understand culture boundaries. The assumption is that a positive stereotype is an effective way to compliant