Poll: CONFORMISTS!!!!

[Captain Booyah]

To look at the other side of this, I have a friend who wears a top hat, a monacle, a pocket watch and a trench coat.

HOLY CRAP TELL ME HE IS SINGLE /freakout

Yeah, I know about the saying where 'If you admit to being X, then you're not really X', but I guess I wouldn't really consider myself a conformist, appearance-wise. (Haven't really thought about it, TBH.) I love period dress, and if I'm not fully suited-up, then I always incorporate some kind of historical twist on my more ordinary clothes. There are also things I have that are just plain odd and don't really fit into any category at all. I get a lot of funny looks over it, but being a little bizarre is just what feels right. ...And Victorians rule *claps hand over mouth*

Un-appearance wise? It's been stated over and over again already, but everybody's conformist in some way or another; that's not necessarily liking the latest music, fashion trend, etc. either, but acting out because everybody else is. That's just priceless. It's kind of a little tragic to see people purposely trying to be different just to get attention. And the irony of rebelling because it's the popular thing to do is almost painful.

(...Seriously, it is so difficult to find a good man who appreciates his historical fashion. I hear about them all the time, but where ARE you all?? Are you time-travellers? Take me back with you. Fuck disease. I want pretty hats.)

 

[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.

But we are not individual animals. We thrive in social interactions, form bonds which we need to survive. If mankind was all about the individual and what the individual needs, then we wouldnt live in communities, we wouldnt have laws and we would do everything for ourselves. We need conformity the same as we need the few to bend conformity. It is evolution. Evolution of society. The group exists as a whole, then a new idea is formed and is tested by a limb of the group. If it works and is beneficial then it is absorbed into the group. If it doesnt, it dies off. Some things have only a limited use and will die off as there usefullness wains.

No, we are not individual animals, but nor are we pack animals. In pack animals whatever the alpha says goes and there is no argument. We may live in communities, but community does not mean conformity. If there was naught but butchers in a community it would fail, variety is the key to survival and growth. We live as a whole, but that limb of the whole you say forms and tests the new ideas, they aren't conformists or non-conformists (meaningless titles), however they are those who do not remain content with the status quo and so seek to expand or break from it, not for the sake of expanding/breaking, but as a necessary step to affect positive development.

 

[Sinclair Solutions]

I don't know why, but this was the first thing that sprang to mind.

 

[badgersprite]

Everyone is conforming to something, whether you know it or not. Even if you went out of your way to make all your clothes by hand so you weren't wearing any brands or anything that was in fashion, then you'd still be conforming to anti-conformity. And, besides, chances are that 95% of the people you accuse of just conforming are wearing things like this because they genuinely like that look. Whether they were given much freedom to decide on what they like or whether they just subconsciously like these fashions because they're trendy is another matter entirely, and there's a whole different argument there, but the point is people aren't doing this just to spite you, and nobody is truly non-conformist. Not you. Not me. Not anyone.