Ah, conformity. Call a conformist a conformist and they become angry. Call a non-conformist the wrong "type" of non-conformist and they become angry. It appears that no matter what you do, you can't escape it: There's the conformists who subscribe to popular culture, the conformists who violently oppose anything popular because they are "non"-conformists, and there's the conformists who point out the conformity of non-conformity... essentially you can chain that ad infinitum. Also, I just used the word conform a little too much, I think.
So how do we resolve the paradox?
No matter what you do, it'll have something in common with somebody else. It's inescapable. And yet for many, conformity is a death sentence.
Here's the secret (turn your eyes on):
Don't care.
That's the only way to do it! And I don't mean don't care as in, I-don't-care-what-anybody-thinks-so-I'm-just-going-to-go-wild. I mean don't care as in why worry if what you're doing is popular? And why worry if what you're doing is "indie" (or hipster or underground or whatever you want to call it)? It all fits in some mold.
Really, the only time it's actually bad is when you conform for the sake of being the same as something else. When it's a coincidental alignment, it doesn't matter.
For example - I used to be vehemently opposed to pop music. It's not as artful, I said. It's not as meaningful, I said. But quite frankly? It's fun! Not all music has to be serious business! I shut myself off from some of the best dancing/driving music ever because of a petty grudge with "mainstream".
So just do your thing. If you like it, you like it. If 90% of America likes it, that doesn't mean it's bad. Just enjoy things. Yay high school!
Wow, this post turned out really boring. I promise more humor next time.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I like this. Good job. :)
ReplyDelete