Poll: CONFORMISTS!!!!

[Betancore]

I used to make an effort to not conform, but lately I've realised how futile it all is. I'm not going to avoid listening to a certain band just because they're popular - I'm going to listen to what I want to listen to, regardless of popular opinion. If other people like them, that's fine. If other people don't, that's fine too.

Not allowing myself to behave in a certain way, just because everyone else does, is just as restricting as conformity. Trying not to conform is about as stupid as trying to conform. My only rule nowadays regarding conformity and the like is that I do what I enjoy.

And uh, does queuing count as conforming? Because I like queues. Unless people cut in. That pisses me off. I think certain social conventions can be quite beneficial.

 

[Emily Boogades]

It never occurred to you that a number of these 'conformists' are also just doing it because they... like to do it, not because they want to fit in?

I've been called emo before because of my hairstyle, my square black-framed glasses, and... well, that's mostly it. It was never my intention; it just happens that both look good for my features.

I tend to think non-conformists, who label themselves as non-conformists and are so pleased over their non-conformity, are the worst types of conformists. People who are strange just to be strange, ultimately going against even their basic nature just because they find it more interesting.

That said - conformity has been considered a throwback to our herd-based survival instincts. Fitting in, if you look at, say... zebras, is a good way not to get your butt savaged by some particularly hungry lion. Non-conformity, like a purple zebra, just made you the tastiest snack in sight.

I think conformity in the more "evolved" population today is neither here nor there. A lot of people see it where it isn't, in a way. Take a hundred people. Seventy people love Starbucks; thirty people prefer smaller chains, or no coffee at all. Bam - Starbucks is beloved by the "sheep," a bastion of conformity, etc, etc. Shrink it down, though. Take ten people. Five of them like comedies, six like action movies. Suddenly, liking action movies makes you a conformist, because the majority of the group likes them.

Nevermind that you just LIKE THEM because YOU DO. You are now a conformist.

I think conformity and the concept of a conformist is an irrational generalization, probably based in the statistics of what people do or do not like, and rarely seems to have anything to do with the individual. That being said, on the flip side of my statement regarding non-conformists being strange just to be strange, some people conform against their better judgment, denying aspects of themselves that they shouldn't. It's also where we get manners and social etiquette from (which differ between countries), why people say "thank you" and "please," and common human courtesy.

So. Yes and no. Conformity, as it's perceived, has its uses, but it's as much an illusion as non-conformity. Everyone makes decisions and lives with them on a personal level. S'all there is to it.

 

[blankedboy]

I'm a non-conformist, just like everybody else.

Another thing. You say your definition of "nerd" is somebody with a fanatical devotion to something. Does that mean that you would consider somebody with a fanatical devotion to sports or exercise a nerd? Just wondering.

He said it's devotion to something that ultimately doesn't matter. Exercise does matter.

 

[Amethyst Wind]

when something works really well and is adopted by the majority of the population...
an artist calls it cliche
and a biologist calls it evolution

I call it unimportant.

What is adopted by the majority of population is meaningless to the individual.

In a practical sense, yes, that is correct, every case should be examined on its own merits. But, by definition what works for the majority is what is most likely to work for a randomly selected individual.

I've no problem with that, so long as the selected individual is not of the mindset that they should/shouldn't do/wear something because of the majority. The selected individual can keep up with trends but the decision should be entirely theirs.

 

[Mittens The Kitten]

when something works really well and is adopted by the majority of the population...
an artist calls it cliche
and a biologist calls it evolution

I call it unimportant.

What is adopted by the majority of population is meaningless to the individual.

In a practical sense, yes, that is correct, every case should be examined on its own merits. But, by definition what works for the majority is what is most likely to work for a randomly selected individual.

I've no problem with that, so long as the selected individual is not of the mindset that they should/shouldn't do/wear something because of the majority. The selected individual can keep up with trends but the decision should be entirely theirs.

Don't you think it's a little ironic that a conformist and a nonconformist hold the same veiwpoint regarding conformity?

 

[Omikron009]

I'm a non-conformist, just like everybody else.

Another thing. You say your definition of "nerd" is somebody with a fanatical devotion to something. Does that mean that you would consider somebody with a fanatical devotion to sports or exercise a nerd? Just wondering.

There is no "your" definition of anything, if words mean different things to different people then that's actually o.k. as long as the definitions are similar. However, arguing over the definition of a word is pointless becuase all someone has to do is look up the official meaning of the word in a dictionary. This comment is by no means a severe offender in this regard but i always like to nip these arguments in the bud.

Just for fun i have decided to put in the merriam-webster definition for nerd and to conform

Nerd
: an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially : one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits

Conform
2a : to be obedient or compliant ?usually used with to <conform to another's wishes>

I was just posing a question about the definition used in the original post. I wasn't trying to start an argument.

 

[Omikron009]

I'm a non-conformist, just like everybody else.

Another thing. You say your definition of "nerd" is somebody with a fanatical devotion to something. Does that mean that you would consider somebody with a fanatical devotion to sports or exercise a nerd? Just wondering.

He said it's devotion to something that ultimately doesn't matter. Exercise does matter.

I realize what I just did there. When I read the original post, I put an imaginary comma between "something" and "that". I thought he was saying that it ultimately doesn't matter what the person is fanatically devoted to, not that the fanatical devotion had to be towards something that ultimately doesn't matter.

 

[Isolda Sage]

Snip

I love the captions on those Pictures!
I was a teenager during the punk rock era. I loved, LOVED the music and loved being a part of the scene, but didn't wear what I referred to as the uniform. As a result I was called a "poser". I always found that to be ironic. I always thought those who were so concerned that I dressed like I wanted to to be conformist!

 

[Mikeyfell]

I'm a non-conformist, just like everybody else.

Another thing. You say your definition of "nerd" is somebody with a fanatical devotion to something. Does that mean that you would consider somebody with a fanatical devotion to sports or exercise a nerd? Just wondering.

I was going to say that...
and yes a sports nerd is still a nerd
knowing all the stats of your favorite sports stars is just as nerdy as knowing all the different Marvel continuities
and I'd even call my self an exercise nerd

OT: a friend of mine who is the biggest conformist tool you will ever meet wanted his senior quote in the year book to be "Conformity breeds mediocrity"
so just to be a massive dick I looked up the two seniors that were alphabetically on either side of him and payed them to make that their year book quote

he almost shit him self when he saw it
it was priceless

 

[Omikron009]

I'm a non-conformist, just like everybody else.

Another thing. You say your definition of "nerd" is somebody with a fanatical devotion to something. Does that mean that you would consider somebody with a fanatical devotion to sports or exercise a nerd? Just wondering.

I was going to say that...
and yes a sports nerd is still a nerd
knowing all the stats of your favorite sports stars is just as nerdy as knowing all the different Marvel continuities
and I'd even call my self an exercise nerd

OT: a friend of mine who is the biggest conformist tool you will ever meet wanted his senior quote in the year book to be "Conformity breeds mediocrity"
so just to be a massive dick I looked up the two seniors that were alphabetically on either side of him and payed them to make that their year book quote

he almost shit him self when he saw it
it was priceless

That sounds like the funniest prank of all time. I love hearing stories like this.

 

[fletch_talon]

People who try hard to conform aren't that different from those who try hard not to conform in my eyes.
At least the people who conform to societies norms don't usually make themselves look like complete and utter knobs all in the name of being different.

Moral of the story, try working on making yourself interesting internally rather than relying on appearance.

 

[Mittens The Kitten]

I'm a non-conformist, just like everybody else.

I was going to say that...
and yes a sports nerd is still a nerd
knowing all the stats of your favorite sports stars is just as nerdy as knowing all the different Marvel continuities
and I'd even call my self an exercise nerd

OT: a friend of mine who is the biggest conformist tool you will ever meet wanted his senior quote in the year book to be "Conformity breeds mediocrity"
so just to be a massive dick I looked up the two seniors that were alphabetically on either side of him and payed them to make that their year book quote

he almost shit him self when he saw it
it was priceless

Nerd
: an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially : one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits

unfortunately, i hate this definition, but neither

you, nor I, nor moviebob gets to decide on definitions and merriam-webster is quite clear that a baseball obsession does not, by itself, make someone a nerd.

 

[Iron Lightning]

I'm... mostly apathetic. I honestly don't care about what I wear, as long as it doesn't have holes in it. So... I guess that could technically make me a non-conformist by way of having no clearly defined look.

 

[Amethyst Wind]

when something works really well and is adopted by the majority of the population...
an artist calls it cliche
and a biologist calls it evolution

I call it unimportant.

What is adopted by the majority of population is meaningless to the individual.

In a practical sense, yes, that is correct, every case should be examined on its own merits. But, by definition what works for the majority is what is most likely to work for a randomly selected individual.

I've no problem with that, so long as the selected individual is not of the mindset that they should/shouldn't do/wear something because of the majority. The selected individual can keep up with trends but the decision should be entirely theirs.

Don't you think it's a little ironic that a conformist and a nonconformist hold the same veiwpoint regarding conformity?

Were I at all interested in either of those titles, or which of us carries which, I might find it so.

Luckily, I am not.

Besides, painting even conformity and non-conformity as so perfectly uniform that all people to fall under their umbrella would act the same as each other is madness.

 

[Nexus4]

Decide to become a non-conformist, being outside the social norms conforms to the expectations a society has of non-conformists. In a sense, a rebel conforms to society by acting rebellious, yet this still conforms to what a society would expect of a rebel.

 

[Zenode]

If your going against being a conformist, then your still letting mainstream run your life

For example.

You ONLY EVER WEAR RED because noone else does then suddenly it becomes mainstream, and you dont wear red anymore because mainstream does it, you let mainstream dictate how you "conform to nonconformity" than you realise. being nonconformist is ridiculous. Seriously just do what you want and dont give a crap what others think. No matter what you do you are conforming to something. I hate this train of though "Herp derp lots of people are doing it so they are all sheep"

 

[Eumersian]

<a href=http://www.cracked.com/article_18916_5-reasons-why-anticonformity-worse-than-conformity.html>How has no one linked this?

If it's popular, great! As long as it doesn't get annoying. If it's not, wonderful! It'll be indie and chic for as long as you want it to be.

Buh, too many people spend too much time thinking about what others think of them these days and not enough time trying to do something useful with their lives.

I will clap for this. This was almost exactly what I had in my head, save a few things that I didn't think of. Cool article, and very relevant. Thumbs up.

 

[Snake Plissken]

Since I, you know, grew the fuck up, I ceased to notice the importance in being a non-conformist. I mean, a wardrobe is just a wardrobe. I fail to see why putting on certain clothing to fit a fashion trend would make any impact on how "conformist" or "non-conformist" you are. Sure, if you belong to some sort of subculture with a group of peers, you believe that you are a non-conformist, but as soon as somebody's subculture becomes mainstream culture they can't lay claim to being a non-conformist.

If clothing determines where you fit in, then try classifying me.
My daily wardrobe consists of:
A Gatsby hat
Black t-shirt, either with alt.country or punk rock bands on it
Cowboy boots
Levi 527 jeans or something very similar
The biggest belt buckle I can possibly find
Two full tattoo sleeves
Black rimmed glasses

How the fuck do you classify someone like that? You really can't classify a human being by what they look like until you know them. Even then, everyone bucks the trend every now and then.

In any case, it's easy to be a non-conformist when you're a teenager. As soon as you have bills to pay, 95% of us choose the easy way and just get a fucking job and try to get along with everyone. As a teacher, student, and liquor store employee by night, I do my best to fit in with everyone I come across because it MAKES MY LIFE A LOT EASIER. If I spent my whole life trying to be the opposite of my peers, we'd argue all the time and nothing would ever get accomplished.