That seems a contradiction in terms. Isn't individualism, being true to one's self, the exact opposite of conformity? Well, that's one of the interesting questions of our times, and I'll briefly share my personal ideas about it.
source: YouTube
Conformity has a negative connotation in western liberal societies, and is completely shunned within libertarian circles. Conformism is linked in the collective psyche to sheepishness, and seen as a precursor to, not a consequence of, a form of soft totalitarianism. In that light, democracy rather quickly becomes a "dictatorship of the masses," and capitalism, with its veneration of the daring entrepreneur who then submits to the elective powers of consumers voting with their dollars, quickly becomes a viable replacement for that democracy. It's how we came to this point, where freedom, free markets and democracy are often uttered in the same sentence and seen as intimately interlinked.
But there we stumble across the first hurdle; when believing in this story of nonconformity becomes the norm, isn't that then merely another form of conformity? It is true, I believe, that it's the nonconformists who bring forth new ideas, inventions, theories and so on, the stuff that produces a vibrant, progressive and dynamic society. But how often have nonconformists lead the way to abject forms of totalitarianism? Aren't mass shootings the work of nonconformists? Hasn't Trump won the elections of 2016 by brandishing himself as the ultimate political nonconformist, right before he became one of the most run-of-the-mill conservative presidents with a revitalized evangelical conservative following? And hasn't he paved the way for nonconformism of a kind that's ultimately damaging to American society, like the far right movements that can now publicly utter theories that were renegaded to the far right fringes of society just a few decades ago?
Conformity, like most phenomenons in society, isn't bad in itself, nor is it good. It's nothing more than man's natural inclination to imitate behaviors, beliefs and values which are considered socially acceptable. For our times that means believing in, and acting in accordance with the set of widely agreed upon principles of individualism, capitalism and liberalism. It means that if you believe society needs to take care of its weaker and less fortunate members, you're a nonconformist. And you're weak, a crybaby, a bloody communist. Indeed, I am. For I know that the nonconformists who bring about change in society, in whatever form, are themselves products of all the conformists who make up that society. They earned the chance to develop their nonconformist ideas by conforming to the accepted beliefs and behaviors of that society. And when their ideas are conducive to the betterment of society, they will better the lifes of the members of that society, and they will become a new norm.
That's not to say that there's no such thing as individual responsibility or that there are no heroes. It's to say that we're all responsible for our heroes, and our villains. When Trump said he took the vaccine, and advised his followers to do the same, he got booed. That's a sign that Trump has created a base he no longer controls; instead he is now controlled by his base. I heard the other day something I believe to be true, namely that Trump would love to claim responsibility for the existence of the vaccines, that he would love to use that as an extra feather in his own narcissist ass, but his base won't let him... Conformity, nonconformity, it's all very interesting to talk and think about, but ultimately they both flow into one another, create and destroy each other. All we can do is live by the truth that society is real, that individuals are real and unique, and that the one can not exist without the other. Now please enjoy this hilarious video about how this all works in practice...
How Culture Works
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