Our individuality is fundamentally what defines us as people. How you speak, dress, think, and act makes you who you are, and other people see it. Our individuality differentiates ourselves from the people around us in a way only we can choose. In a sea of people who hold the same ideologies, we should never have to surrender who we are to the masses. ”Shutting Out the Sun” by Michael Zielenziger, ”The Sociology of Leopard Man” by Logan Feys, and My Chemical Romance's song ”Sing” are wonderful examples of this idea.
Having a society where conformity is highly valued can be dangerous and lead to fatal effects. Japan, for example, is one of these societies where people are expected to look and act like everybody else. The effect this has
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When everyone agrees on everything, nothing ever gets done, no change is brought about, and no issues are addressed. People are too afraid to stray from the general consensus. This is displayed in Logan Feys’ ¨Leopard man¨ where he articulates ¨Society looks down upon freakish and extraordinary individuals alike and views them with suspicion. Ordinary people fear what they don’t understand. They especially fear loners, those mysterious creatures who pursue their own values without seeking others’ permission or permitting others to hamper them.¨ (paragraph 4) showing that people are afraid of those that aren't like them because they don't understand them. If nobody changed who they were to conform to the masses, individuality wouldn't be met with fear, but understanding. We should always strive to do act in life because it makes us happy, not because it pleases …show more content…
It's more difficult to go against something the more people believe in it. Masses of people can be manipulated because all they wanted was to follow the crowd. Different opinions can be suppressed, creativity and freedom are replaced by fear and compliance. My Chemical Romance established that ¨You've got to make a choice/If the music drowns you out/And raise your voice/Every single time they try and shut your mouth¨ here it presents the idea of individuality being silenced by conformity, when people are afraid to be an individual because they will constantly be shot down by societal norms. They are being forced to be compliant even if that's not what they want to
Every type of person struggles with a thing we call, identity. Personal identity come from multiple factors from our race to our own personal beliefs. Some people say we have the choice to choose our own identity, but is that always true? No, in fact other people can affect how we look and essentially identity our self’s. In the article called.
What is s pressured individual? A pressured individual is a person who gets encourage to follow their peers by changing their attitudes, values, or behavior to conform to those of the influencing group. In the article, The Sociology of Leopard Man, Logan Fey’s states a quote that talks about individuals that are pressure from being themselves by things in the society. Fey’s talk more about individuals than Tom Wooldridge who goes by “ Leopard Man .” Although judgement was the main point in Fey’s article.
What David Barry is trying to tell his grandson and the rest of the world is to “be yourself” or “don't follow the crowd. Later the author confirms this idea and becomes more specific when he says “just because “many people” believe in something does not make it right”
Far into the future, the society in the book Anthem forms a dystopian civilization where individuality is nonexistent. The civilization frowns upon anything individual, as it is against the laws set by the “Brotherhood” which consists of every man on Earth. They allow no one to be alone even in words such as the singular pronoun “I”, people cannot even have ideas of their own. They sleep in groups where nights are horrible, and people wake up screaming and sobbing. People assign other’s jobs because it is illegal to have choice, or show preference.
“We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One indivisible and forever” (Rand 19). In Anthem, a science fiction novel, by Ayn Rand, the society believes in this philosophy. They believe one’s personality is not their own but a group’s identity, collectivism. In Anthem, Equality 7-2521 lives in a society that is restricted with rules that limits them from finding themselves.
As stated by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment”. In the novella, Anthem by Ayn Rand, the setting takes place in a futuristic, dystopian society that has abandoned the use of modern technology and has set rules and regulations in order to keep one practice, Collectivism, or a practice where people do not think or make decisions for themselves. No men are permitted to think of others as closer to them than any others, or have preferences on things such as their profession. If one considers his own well being and desires above that of his brothers, it is seen as a transgression. The City is ruled by the Councils who select how their citizens
Well, that is the reality in the novella Anthem by Ayn Rand, where everyone in society is a collective the same who do what they are supposed to like everyone else until the day they die. To many, this life sounds unpleasant having to conform to a group, and disregard yourself to focus on
President John F. Kennedy had once said to the United Nations against the Soviet Union, “Conformity is the jailer of freedom, and the enemy of growth.” Kennedy talks about how monotony limits the possibilities of achieving freedom. Making people be the same as everyone else constricts people’s ability to choice and liberty. Conformity doesn’t allow people to change, to grow since they won’t be able to because they have to be the same as everyone else.
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment” (Ralph Waldo Emerson). Emerson suggests that humans are living in a world in which humanity is constantly attempting to change individuals. Society tries to change humans identities, but a human’s identity is what allows them to express themselves and distinguish themselves from others. Human nature is supposed to look, act and think differently, and, when humans are very similar it becomes difficult to interact and get along with others. A time that preserving identity becomes notably challenging is during times of crisis.
Conformity is something that humans have been doing for a long time. Such conformity has lead to negative outcomes. This idea is explored through “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut and “The Unknown Citizen” by W.H. Auden. In these two texts conformity eliminates individuality and causes the society to be weakened.
How could losing individuality affect a society? The novel Anthem by Ayn Rand is about a guy named Equality 7-2521 who is trying to find himself in a society where everything is controlled and different. Later, he finds himself even though he will have to go through many obstacles to get there. The process behind losing individuality in an Anthem’s society are in forcing strict laws, brain washing of their citizens, and removing of family. The Anthem society in forcing of strict laws made it easy for everyone to lose their individuality.
In the essay, “The sociology of Leopard man”, by Logan Feys, he argues that individuality can be affected by the pressures that society puts on people. I agree with Feys opinion on this subject. I agree with Feys because many people are being looked down upon for being different and not meet a certain standard set by society. He expresses this in paragraph 4, “society looks down upon freakish and extraordinary individuals alike and views them with suspicion. Ordinary people fear what they do not understand.”
Ayn Rand was able to demonstrate and make evident this idea with her many books. Namely, one of her most famous, Anthem. For the typical reader, Anthem correctly displayed views on individualism because of the use of ‘we’, how Equality 7-2521’s life is portrayed, and the lack of freedom. We. A word that symbolises collectivism.
Individualism not only helps a society grow, but also help the people in it realise that they are good at doing. Richard Koch in this article “In Individual Good or Bad,” compared the pros and cons of individualism. He believes that “individualism has been an enormous success in encouraging ordinary people
Americans today tend to believe that being a conformist has no consequences. Little do they know it can get you killed. For example, in the fire experiment this guy conformed to the actors and stayed there with them instead of running like his original plan. If it would have been a real fire, they would have all died. If there were to be a nonconformist in that man 's position he would have left that room as quick as he possible.