Comments on: Conformity and Individualism

By: Danielle Baker

Danielle Baker — Sat, 03 May 2008 02:11:04 +0000

I believe that Individualism started with people who wanted a change. People who wanted to go against mainstream society. Yes I am talking about Communists, the Black Panther Party, Gay and Lesbian Groups, and AIM to name a few. Most of these groups have gotten a bad reputation by our media for not being conformists and “violent”. Before anyone attacks my statement, just think of the free breakfast program (started by the Black Panther Party), women’s right to vote (a senator added in anyone of any sex can vote thinking this would stop people from letting Blacks vote), and the list goes on. I do however think it is harder to be an individual because a lot of people want change nowadays.

By: Wanda Plaatje

Wanda Plaatje — Fri, 02 May 2008 22:01:51 +0000

I for one do think that the American people are becoming more individual due to Authors like Brooks and Ginsberg. Yet, I believe that culture in itself refers to the universal human capacity to communicate with agreed boundaries. So, if said boundaries of the future are to be an individual or to make subcultures the new culture, doesn’t it fall back into itself as the new conformity or the new “mainstream” culture; thus, in essence, become the very thing it was supposed to oppose? Anyway, if such a sense of community did exists in the fictional worlds of Darl and Blanch, I don’t it would have saved them. Culture means nothing to the mad.

By: Justin Heyd

Justin Heyd — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:58:47 +0000

I believe that Ginsburg was obsessed with not being a sheep just like people are obsessed with following the herd and trying to fit in. Ginsberg was trying to shepherd a society of people who had lost their individualism. However, when you are the only one proclaiming your ideals of individuality, it will be very difficult for people to listen to what you have to say. Even Jesus Christ, one of the most influential leaders of all time, had twelve apostles to help him and preach his teachings. I believe that a society of subcultures strengthens our society for the better. One of the great things about America is that even within a small city you can have many small subcultures in it. And in society, you will always find individuals like Ginsberg, that refuse to conform to what is expected of withing society and continue to march to the beat of his own drum.

By: Hannah Prentice

Hannah Prentice — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:53:04 +0000

I feel as though this could also be tied to the assimilation argument. People are so obsessed with trying to belong that they eventually lose their own identity and their sense of individualism. Ginsberg was able to retain his sense of individualism in his writing. He wasn’t conforming to the ideals of the time, he was living his own life. I believe that a society should be made up of small bands of people with different things in common rather than the entire society trying to conform to one ideal. There will always be people that won’t conform but the majority of people are looking for someplace to belong. There will always be conformity.

By: Ashley Dolly

Ashley Dolly — Fri, 02 May 2008 19:05:36 +0000

I admire Ginsberg’s ability to step out of the box. Authors like this convey a message to people that it’s ok to be a non-comformist and perhaps the ones who choose not to conform are more of an individual than others. Rather than people in the 50s viewing these authors as way different or possibly not normal, these authors are actually speaking to the world that it’s ok to be yourself and choose your own way of life

By: Patrick Boustead

Patrick Boustead — Fri, 02 May 2008 18:13:53 +0000

I think the idea of individualism is some what lost in today’s society. Many people say that they agree with this idea and then turn around and shun someone who might be a little different. Examples pop up all the time, go and sit on a bench in the mall some Saturday. You have parents ushering their kids away from someone who might be walking next to them covered in tatoos.

By: Josh Tribble

Josh Tribble — Fri, 02 May 2008 18:08:28 +0000

I think that these subcultures definitely strengthen a culture, in that it gives the dominant culture a chance to look at things from a different perspective. The conformist culture is not always the correct point of view, but if you have many different perspectives on a particular situation in culture then you have the best chance of bettering society. Also these subcultures are important to a well rounded society, in that individuals who do not fit into the conformist culture need a sense of identity within the culture they exist within, therefore becoming or adhering to the belief systems of a subculture provides for a sense of wellbeing for these types of individuals. The conformist culture may only be set in place, to a certain extent of course, because some people may have been brought up that way and don’t know any better, or it is an inherent subconcious mental representation of themselves, therefore they place themselves within the dominant culture. I also think Blanche would have been better off in a culture where she did not have to or feel like she had to adhere to the expectations of other people, but on the other hand i think Darl acted to disonnect himself from the societal norm.

By: Jordan McQuillen

Jordan McQuillen — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:57:28 +0000

One thing that we have seen through this semester is that characters are often faced with the conflict of doing what they want to do and doing what soceity expects out of them. But, over time, these expectations change. This theme kind of follows US history too, because women & minorities had very few rights and freedoms way back in the 1860s, but today these same minorities are competing for the US Presidency. Our country allows people to read what they want to read and write what the want to write, which will ensure that even the verbally outspoken always have a medium to communicate their beliefs/ideas/obeservatinos to the population and also serves as a timepiece for generations to come.

By: Trenton Mendelson

Trenton Mendelson — Fri, 02 May 2008 03:49:46 +0000

As time progresses culture and society are constantly changing. Due to these changes in culture and society, there are always changes in the personality and actions of people. I believe that people are becoming much more individualistic as time progresses. Not only are people becoming more self-aware, they are recognizing other individuals and emulating them. You would think through this emulation they would copy them, but instead are etching out their own role as an individual, and are simply inspired by other individualistic persons. Blanche would have benefited from a more individualistic culture. I feel she would not have had to escape to her dream world, because she would be a stronger individual, capable of accepting things and not always working to be like others.

By: Amy Kraayenhof

Amy Kraayenhof — Thu, 01 May 2008 23:06:00 +0000

The American society is definitely moving more towards an individualistic culture when it comes to things like trying to succeed in life. There is such a diversity to everything from what we wear, listen to, as well as read. However just like we like to be individuals we like to be like other people, that’s why we have the friends we do, look at high school cliques for example, so in the end we all are still conforming in some way or another, just not on a mass scale. We also tend to outcast people that are too individualistic. I agree that if we get to individualized we may get a little crazy and feel alone sort of like blanch probably did.