Individuality is a valued character in society and is what makes us who we are, if we lose our individuality and conform we lose ourselves. In the article “The Sociology of Leopard Man” by Logan Feys, the author describes what he thinks it means to be an individual and the dangers of conformity. Leopard Man lives in seclusion and is covered in tattoos, Feys uses him as an example of an individual that does not care what the world thinks of him. I agree almost completely agree with Feys’s ideas about individuality. I agree because of Feys’s points about false normality, and how going against conformity is what makes an individual, however I disagree with his repeated use of the word freak, but see why he would use this language.
Fey’s says that many normal people are not really normal and have serious psychological issues like depression and alcoholism. According to Feys these conditions are caused by, “ The desire to fit in”. Trying to fit in is a common experience in life and it can be stressful trying to be something you're not, and while I have not gotten any of theses psychological conditions, I could see how others might turn to alcoholism, addiction, or become depressed, either to try and relieve or respond to that stress.Some people may say that once someone is depressed or an alcoholic they are no longer normal. But how do you know if someone has one of these problems, your neighbor or someone in your family could be depressed and you might never know unless they told you. Are they freaks just because they have a temporary problem? If they weren’t normal they would not of given themselves these conditions by trying to fit in. Leopard man is so happy because he is free from the pressures to conform and does not care abou...
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...l in the individual class of freaks not the attention grabbing one, and since Feys ideas are already different from what most people think being seen as a freak himself would make his arguments invalid in the eyes of many normal people.
Fey’s ideas about what it means to be an individual are completely valid. He says how individuality is an important trait that makes us human, how it is threatened by conformity, and how a balance between individuality and conformity can be used to achieve happiness without being as extreme as leopard man. Individuality is essential to the world, society cannot function without individuals with unique and creative ideas, but society will also fall apart without small amounts of conformity because people would not be able to work together, this is why it is important to balance individuality and conformity as Feys suggested.
The concept of what is "individuality" and what is not has plagued and delighted man since the dawn of time. “All the Pretty Horses” by Cormac McCarthy adds 302 more pages to the pile of all the works that have been on the quest to define individualism. In this novel, McCarthy takes us through four faces of the key character’s life, John Grady, to portray the idea of illusory individualism. He contends that John Grady is simply a product of a society in contrast to his (Grady) notion of free will. Simply put: Grady has no alternatives but an obligation to conform to society. McCarthy uses him to create the platform in which to comment on oppression of individuality, expectation of conformity to the values of the society and the fact that the concept of individualism is a myth.
Individualism and conformity—two very commonly used terms to describe anyone in today’s times. In comparison to the article “The Sociology of Leopard Man,” written by Logan Feys, one of the most notable quotes that relates to individualism and conformity is “to be a human is to be an individual human, with individual tastes [.][and]talents [.] that are distinct from those of others. Living in society, we are under constant pressure to surrender our individuality to the will of the majority, the school, the workplace, the family,.” (Feys Par. 6.)
The term self-control, tends to be associated with behavior and emotions. Most would think of controlling behavior caused by emotion. They think of punching the wall because of anger, or not wanting to cry in public. In chapter 8 of the book “The Social Animal” by David Brooks. Brooks confronts misconceptions in the way people view self-control. Specifically, Brooks argues that self-control is more about what the mind gives attention too than about the controlling the emotion or action. Brooks uses the character of Erica and her tennis career to explain how to have self- control. Brooks explains, “She was reminding herself that she had a say in triggering which inner self would dominate her behavior. All she had to do was focus her attention
Just following the ant in front of us, and everyone looking the same as the next. Not having any of there own ideas or thoughts of what to do and how to do it. Some people are what you may call "normal", some are depressed, some are mentally ill, and some are just plain old crazy. In the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, written by Ken Kesey, the author shows how people can act so differently and have different ways of dealing with their problems. The story is narrated by Chief Bromden who is thought to be deaf and dumb.
deviations and find themselves perfectly normal. For people shouldnt have that thought that what they
Conformity, the act of changing to fit in. Conformity can completely change a person whether it be their looks, such as their the way they dress, or their personality, like the way they act around certain people. In The Sociology of Leopard Man Logan Feys argues that being human has a right to it, and that right is to be who you are. Society pushes out certain people for not fitting in with everyone else, but also says that nobody should fit in, because everyone has a different personality.
The world is divided up into numerous things: Countries, states, cities, communities, etc. However, when looking at the big scope of things, one can group the vast amount of people into a society. This society is where the majority lie in the scheme of things - in other words, the common people. Individuals do exist in this society, but they are scarce in a world of conformism. Society’s standards demands an individual to conform, and if the individual refuses they are pushed down by society.
To group individuals together, categorize them and classify them as a single entity is demeaning to each person’s individuality. There is a lot of positives and negatives that go along with being an individualist. For instance, in the story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins, the woman is struggling to be independent. Even after John locks his wife in a room, she continues to rely on him. John convinces his wife she is crazy and she eventually goes psychotic believing it. A perfect example of this is when John states "Bless her little heart!" said he with a big hug, "she shall be as sick as she pleases! But now let's improve the shining hours by going to sleep, and talk about it in the morning!" (Gilman pg. 5) After being locked in a room for so long alone, she obsesses over the yellow wallpaper and drivers herself to insanity. After ripping all of the paper off of the walls, she ties herself to the bed, in fear of the “women” coming out of the wallpaper. For example she states “But I am securely fastened now by my well-hidden rope -- you don't get me out in the road there !” (...
Individuality is not accepted in this society because it causes conflicts with one another. The government demolishes any kind of individuality one has, and does not tolerate with any kind of knowledge because they will find a way to punish an individual. Individuality expresses the differences of a person, it create a unique personality of one self like Clarisse McClellan.
To most people individualism is great. It’s one of the greatest qualities a person can have. Being true to themselves, dominate and being exactly what they are, an individual. Many people have to face the obstacles life throws at you while you’re being an individual and rely on yourself because thats what all seems to be left. Edgar Allen Poe is a great example of a person who practices individualism. He is a man of great power and has had many things break him down just to get back up again. He’s a legend in his time and very much in ours. In Masque of the Red Death, Poe wrote about his own life through the disease of tuberculosis and how it’s impossible for people to overcome or run away from this disease. For example this mysterious figure, being the disease, haunts the people at the party as everyone passes through each room and hallway. “ And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture to his fall” (Poe 461). Many of his family members died from Tuberculosis leaving him to be crucially devastated. He had to live and be apart of the individual world. Being alone and having no one to fall back on. He took this as a chance to fin...
The things that make one different are the things that cause the world to change and lead to conformity. Uniqueness is a characteristic that is in everyone; no one person is the same. In this way, Equality 7-2521 from Anthem, a novel written by Ayn Rand, conforms to society on his outward actions to keep him safe, but on this inside, his drive for individuality and not being “normal” allows him to discover a tunnel in which he discovers multiple things like electricity. In a similar aspect, I seek to with my mind, as if a moving vehicle, swerve sharply to the opposite direction to avoid indifference and achieve my maximum potential.
Since the beginning of time, people have been trying to become individuals and stand out as unique beings. During the foundation of the colonies, individuals were focused on preserving their religious beliefs. As slavery became more predominant, the Civil War era fought to give black people their identity back. In the 1800s and 1900s, the individual initiative shifted from giving a group of people identity to individuals fighting for their own personal beliefs. In today’s society, individualism has been diminished by the collapse of the economy, forcing people to live with their parents for longer periods of time. As the economy continues to grow again individualism is making strides in a positive direction.
Both A “Brave New World” and events from our own world disprove the statement that individuality is seen as a threat to a harmonious society. In the book Huxley introduces the characters Bernard, Helmholtz, and John as outsiders. They do not fit into the societies that they are a part of which threatens the system Mustafa Mond and the other world leaders have instilled into the society. The accusation above is flawed and incorrect. Individuality was seen as a threat to a harmonious society however it is not a threat. It is important for civilization to keep moving forward.
...either hasten their own delivery, not resist it" (2767). Would it really be that bad to be an individualist instead of conforming to the crowd? I do not think so.
To be considered normal or abnormal has been just a label society places on you to explain individuality. When we are younger, we were given a mixed message that being different and unique is acceptable, however growing up in a society that wants you to blend in and adhere to the norms and usual customs of that culture is difficult. Being dissimilar often leads you to be judged and considered deviant. What you perceive not only defines your idiosyncratic judgment, so does your culture, prejudices, upbringing and generation you belong to. In our modern day society a universal normal has not, nor ever will exist. We think, look and all act differently and the reality of it is, no one is normal.