Conformity for the sake of conformity is foolish. But isn't different for the sake of different foolish also?

Question

Conformity for the sake of conformity is foolish. But isn't different for the sake of different foolish also? Being different because everyone seems to be the same just isn't sane. It's like not eating ice-cream because everyone else eats ice cream. No, ice cream is delicious. What do you guys think?

Answer 1

Of course.  Need different rubrics to guide than rules that simple.  Anyway, the world is a far more complex place than any set of rules will guide you.  Frustrates the simple minds that wants simple rules.  

Answer 2

Either way you're letting the popular opinion dictate your actions.  Being a conformist is easy: you just do what everybody else is doing.  Being a non-conformist is also easy: you just do the opposite of what everybody else is doing.  In both instances what everybody else is doing determines what you do.  And that's not individualism, it's just defining yourself as a positive or negative.  Sometimes it is actually non-conformist to conform, if that's what makes you happy.  For instance, suppose all my friends listen to thrash metal and indie "non-conformist" bands.  If I then listen to Britney Spears I'm "conforming" in the overall societal sense, but being a non-conformist in terms of my social sphere and listening to what I want.  Sometimes you'll conform, sometimes you won't, the tapestry defines who you are as a person.  Don't let others define you for you, in either sense.

Answer 3

Yes. But middle class people are usually trendy, which is OK. Conformity is alright as long as it doesn't become psychological and cause someone to be violent.

Answer 4

I think we all eventually act in our own individual way in different situations.  Sometimes that may mean conforming, at other times, you act differently from the crowd.

This sort of deliberate 'different for the sake of being different' is usually a passing phase, which life soon cures you of - and calls it maturity. But do enjoy these rebellious days while they last - even if others find them foolish.

Answer 5

I think the more people try and set themselves apart, the more they look the same.  If you don't want to be stereo-typed, don't do stereo-typical things.  As for me, I will never, I repeat NEVER go into another Harbor Freight store wearing khaki paints, a polo shirt and a khaki spring jacket.  My wife tried to find me and it seems everyone in the store looked just like me...  Hmmm.

Answer 6

You are absolutely right.

Answer 7

I agree that both premises are valid.  I also feel it's not worth the effort to try to compel other people to grow up and grow out of the "go along to get along" mind-set.

Answer 8

I agree--that's why I say just be yourself... wether you are doing what everyone else is doing today or standing out tomorrow... once you're doing what you truly want too then that's the way it should be.

Besides, it can get exhausting trying to be something you're not.

Answer 9

Extremes in either direction serve little or no purpose unless they are being done so as to demonstrate to another or to others that such detracts from the beneficial rather than adds to it in general terms and in usual circumstance, the demonstration being the exception.

Perhaps it is wiser to seek to follow the middle path.

Be well and, please, be wise.

Answer 10

Wanting to be different for the sake of being different may result from the search for identity by some pre-teens who are a bit more inquisitive than others-I think that an adult who behaves in such a reactive way probably has issues.

Seeking individuality by the means of simply doing the opposite everybody else is doing is the complete wrong path.What you need is confidence in yourself,the urge to discover new things and the ability to survive happily in a world where most people will jump in the bandwagon.In the end of the day,although cultural preferences may be an indicator of a special personality,they don't necessarily mean that one is an individual.