by Larry Christopher

Created on: June 13, 2007

The interesting thing about America is that it's a culture that, on the surface, values freedom and diversity. Conformity is seldom treated as a positive value in America, yet, beneath the surface, there is often a pressure to conform to political, religious or societal norms. In some ways, in fact, modern America (as well as other Western cultures) is more conforming that many other cultures. This is due largely to the mass media, which allows millions of people to instantly see the same images. Ironically, many people, especially teenagers and young people, who are trying desperately to rebel end up conforming in their very attempt at rebellion. By getting tattoos, piercings, or following the latest trends in music or clothes, they end up conforming to their peer group.

Conformity is not always wrong, but it is a double-edged sword. It keeps people in line and following the rules. Sometimes the rules are good. Sometimes they are just silly or mindless (as with much popular culture). And sometimes they are downright destructive and wrong. If you conform without questioning anything, you will simply follow the rules whether they are good or bad. The problem with conformity is that you are basically giving up any personal responsibility in regard to the rules you are following. Some obvious examples in history where this had tragic consequences are Nazi Germany, Stalinist Russia and America during the years of slavery.

I think the best way to be is to strike a balance. Rebelling against everything is no better than conforming to everything. Usually, the person who is always rebelling is conforming to something else anyway, whether it's a peer group, street gang, radical political movement or whatever. If you think for yourself, you will sometimes conform and sometimes not. Thinking for yourself is a more authentic American value (or, for that matter, human value, at least in my opinion) than conformity. True individualism involves taking responsibility for your own actions and evaluating everything according to some value system that goes beyond whatever the current experts, government or media are saying. In our present culture, we have to remember the difference between our own thoughts and those we get bombarded with every day.

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