Why Herd Culture Must Exist

Collectivism is the practice or principle of giving a group priority over each individual (Merriam-Webster). Those who believe in collectivism think having society working towards the same goal or outcome is the most productive. Supporters of this theory feel it creates harmony and a sense of belonging (Andrews 1). Collective societies tend to be dependent on others in the group or institutions to meet their needs. Members of a collective society expect absolute loyalty to the group and have a “we” mentality (Andrews 1). As Ray Bradbury pointed out in Fahrenheit 451, when a collective society is present, “...they all say the same things and nobody says anything different from anyone else.” (31) The individual has no self-identity and is lost to the group. Although aspects of this argument are enticing, it ultimately fails to be a stronger argument because individual responsibility nor moral responsibility is present. There is no incentive for any individual to step up because everyone receives the same reward. Through collaboration and collective thoughts are great tools, we must remember that the original thought was generated by the individual and he or she should benefit from

Human beings are defined as ''social animals'' because in every aspects of life they live together, they form a variety of groups and improve relationships with each other. Interaction with others is a natural result of living in society. In the process of interaction, society and its rules has a social impact on each individual. If people face with any kind of social impact such as group pressure, great part of them show conformity by changing their behaviors, ideas, decisions in expected way. A person conforms if he or she chooses a course of action that a majority favors or that is socially acceptable. Some kind of conformity is natural and socially healthy but obeying all the norms, ideas, and decisions without thinking or accepting

Conformity or in this case compliance with standards of others and being afraid of being an individual plays a major role with bystanders especially in groups of people. For example, a smoke filled room experiment was tested once with a young man by himself and then again with the same person but in a group. The first time this young man saw the smoke he immediately went looking for help shouting and jumping to get the receptionist’s attention, but the second time when more people were added to the room or “experiment” they all acknowledged the smoke but did nothing. The first time the young man wanted to get help but when a group was added he conformed to that group and did nothing. The same thing happens in real situations like the famous 1964 Kitty Genovese murder and even the 2010 heroic homeless man murder both were witnessed by many, yet no one did

Not only did capitalism prevent social mobility, but also gave the factory owners an opportunity to implement Social Darwinism by promoting exploitation upon incoming immigrants. Packingtown attracted many immigrants from all over the world because the immigrants thought they will be given the opportunity to start a new life by getting a job. This led to exponential growth of immigration to Packingtown, which gave the factory owners a better opportunity to exploit their workers, since they had an unlimited supply of labor. Sinclair portrays how Packingtown was filled with “....low-class and mostly foreign, hanging always on the verge of starvation, and dependent for its opportunities of life upon the whim of men every bit as brutal and unscrupulous as the old-time slave-drivers; under such circumstances immorality

In the following paper, I will be supporting Nietzsche’s theme that being part of a group can be harmful to individuality. I will support this claim by showing that a person’s behavior changes based on the groups they identify themselves to be in. In the book Subliminal, Leonard Mlodinow discusses different studies at length to prove that unconsciously, people are apt to behave differently once they identify themselves to be in a group. Studies have shown different cognitive biases and unconscious forms of behavior are heavily influenced by external factors. One factor that is especially influential is being part of an in-group or out-group, which creates a dynamic where perception and overall behavior towards self and others is greatly changed. In this essay, I will first show evidence from Nietzsche’s writings that support the claim, including his ideas on conformity and the herd versus the higher man. Then, I will discuss the article Nietzsche’s Sociology by Patrik Aspers, where he deliberates the sociology of Nietzsche’s ideas and discusses his contempt for groups, and shows that although there was an inevitable evolution of humanity that needed groups, they do not serve humanity beneficially. Afterwards, I will present empirical evidence of human behavior changing based on the groups they feel they are a part of. Finally, I will conclude by tying Nietzsche’s ideas on conformity with the observed changes in human behavior to

Society trusts those that conform, and distrusts those that don't. One advantage of conforming to societies expectations is that you gain trust from the society. People who don't conform aren't trusted. One disadvantage is that you join the group, so you're not technically an individual anymore in your own right. In the novel The Crucible, Arthur Miller explains the causes of hysteria, mob mentality, scapegoating by showing the conflicts within a society.

What happens when society demands that its citizens all act and do the same things? In the book that Ayn Rand writes named Anthem it shows how society demands the citizens all act the same, and function on the same level. When social conformity has gone too far it will be very harmful to the people that live within the society or follow the rules set forth by society. When taken too far the society can only progress to be as smart as the lesser person operating in that society... hence you are only as strong as your weakest link. When conformity is taken to a large scale, the individualism is little to none which creates many potential problems. Society will not progress, and the only way a society works, is when different ideas are brought up, and then expanded upon. A successful society is driven by a diversity of people who strive to do better themselves and the culture in which they live in and believe in.

In Cass R. Sunstein's Going to Extremes, How Like Minds Unite and Divide, traditions and social norms are described in several ways throughout chapters four and five. In chapter four Sunstein brings up traditions and how they can control how an average person acts and thinks. He continues by saying people will still follow tradition, even when they know the traditions are bad, rather than be outside the social norm. In chapter five, the author continues by telling of a feminism class he taught in China where only the men talked as Chinese women are taught that speaking can make them seem ugly. These points seem to further explain the ways in which extremism develops, when the majority of people will stick with the social norms those who view

The world is filled with many different types of societies and cultures. This is due to the fact that many people share dissimilar beliefs and ideas, as well as diverse ways of life. People lived under different circumstances and stipulations, therefore forming cultures and societies with ideas they formulated, themselves. These two factors, society and culture, are what motivate people to execute the things that they do. Many times, however, society and culture can cause downgrading effects to an assemblage if ever it is corrupt or prejudiced. Society and culture not only influences the emotions individuals have toward things like age differences, religion, power, and equality but also the actions they perform as a result.

The article, Charlottesville and the Perils of Collectivism, talks about the protest in Charlottesville, Virginia and the dangers in the rise of collectivism from the neo-Nazis and neo-confederates. According to Thio, A & Taylor, J (2011), the symbolic interaction theory states that, “if members of the dominant group perceive minorities as undesirable or dangerous, the interaction between them is tense or superficial (p 63).” Throughout the article Boehm talked about white nationalism and the politically motivated violence that was brought in Charlottesville. As stated in the article collectivism was the real enemy as collectivism is “one cleverly disguised but nurtured by a group of people who profess to hate the idea (Boehm, 2017).” The

This shared culture provides a framework allowing individuals to co operate by doing things such as defining their goals they should pursue and laying down rules about how they should behave. One functionalist, Parsons, calls this agreement value consensus- the glue that holds society together. Value consensus makes social order possible, with Parsons indentifying that the system has two mechanisms for ensuring individuals conform to the shared norms, thus meeting the systems needs; Socialisation and Social control. The system can assure its needs are met by teaching individuals to want to do what is required of them, with positive sanctions rewarding conformity and negative ones punishing defiance. As individuals are integrated, the behaviour of each person will be quite predictable and stable, allowing cooperation. However this view can be seen as a weakness, as it is somewhat ‘naïve’ to assume that there is consensus; it is unlikely within society we all essentially believe in and work for the same thing. From an action perspective, Wrong criticizes the idea of a value consensus as he criticizes the functionalists over socialized, deterministic view of the individual. Wrong says that individuals have no free will or choice; they are mere puppets whose string are pulled by society. Due to this, the functionalists approach somewhat contradicts itself as functionalism sees humans as being shaped by society, but their approach actually takes

In a herd of a people, no one is greater than anyone else. Nietzsche believes that our true instincts are our motives for action and if we ignore them then we are only conforming to a herd. It may be “awkward and difficult for the ear to hear something new; we are bad at listening to unfamiliar music”(81), but we should not be afraid to experience “more morality” (81). I believe that more morality means that morality needs to be expanded to a combination of ideas from the past, even if the go against the morals in place. Not everyone has the will to experience more morality; therefore, in Nietzsche’s society these people would fail because people are too afraid to adjust to something new. In the pre-moral period, they would be considered slaves because somebody must suffer for success to be achieved.

Society, without even saying a word, has given us rules and guidelines that we have to abide. Social norms are rules or guidelines regarding what kinds of behavior are acceptable or appropriate within a culture. They are so embedded within our daily life that often we do not notice them. Because norms are so ingrained within our society, deviation of social norms can lead to be ostracized or even arrested depending on the situation. Violating norms, like promoting hate message about poor people, in society can be explained through the functionalism theory.

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” Quoted from American author Ralph Waldo Emerson, this encapsulates the very spirit of a natural human. In our natural state, we humans strive to continue building on our foundation. The foundation is different for each and every one of us, meaning different things will be built upon each of our foundations. This is humanity, what separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom. We strive to not only survive, but to live. To experience life in our own individual perspective is what makes us unique. In a society discouraging individualism, humanity is stripped away and replaced with synthetic interaction. Simply put, collectivism strips life away. People will not conform to what others think they should conform to, unless it is

Society may be defined as a group of people living in agreement, having the same moralistic and judicial rules and standards. To live in a society, one must accept these standards and adopt them as their own. For example, living in the United States indicates that you respect the life, liberty and property of each individual, and you decide to accept the punishment if you violate any of these natural rights. Although one may not always agree with these standards, they choose to make sacrifices for the well-being of others. Society is responsible for creating an image of the ideal person, family, environment, and way of life. Our modern day society has dictated its own definition of beauty, happiness, and success. It seems society has accidentally tied these three together, and since these definitions are not universal, different societies may assign different meanings to each concept. Unlike societies explain why there are so many contrasting beliefs and viewpoints throughout the world today. The growth and morals of society are exclusively dependent on those who choose to be a part of something greater than them. Societies tend to grow only when people come to an understanding to be involved. Society is an accumulation of majority rule and the goals of the majority.