Comments | eldritch_wizard: deep thought 2.0

eldritch_wizard

deep thought 2.0

Feb 20, 2006 14:59

Sometimes I think about conformity and the act of acceptance. In personal terms, I look at people who go to church or who repeat slogans they've heard off of the television and I wonder about the content of those peoples' characters. Are they unintelligent? Am I being egotisitical when I consider myself superior to someone who won't question the ( Read more... )

Comments 3

Interesting... funky_dr February 21 2006, 06:05:07 UTC

I don't know if we can say that conformity or acceptance is automatically a negative thing. Consider society without those things....each will against all....it certainly isn't a good picture. I think it's important to realize that identity is partly a social construct. It starts with a social consciousness.....we realize that other people see us and judge us as we interact with them....so it shapes how we choose to interact. We choose to conform to certain standards because it reaps favorable results...or gives us a better chance to reach our desired outcome. Conformity is not necessarily an indication of ignorance, it's certainly possible, however a person could simply be conforming because they realize that given the structure of things....conformity gives them the best chance of getting what they want. We conform thousands of times a day and we don't even think twice about it ( ... )

Re: Interesting... eldritch_wizard February 21 2006, 06:48:48 UTC

I must admit, your thought delved deeper than mine.
I have two particular people in mind when I think of the conformist person, i.e. the person who blindly accepts everything they hear from their chosen elders. And these two people are akin to peacocks with their heads dug into the sand. You could point out the fallacies of their own logic and they would still deny that 1+1=2
I feel guilty about feeling superior, but then sometimes I just get drawn into these debates where I feel vindicated because of their complete and utter stupidity.
An example of their stupidity would include the statement "Robots are not science fiction."
But then I also end up debating about politics with these people, and if the politician is a Republican then that politician is not a liar, they can never do any wrong and why I am even questioning their decisions. Yet a politician designated as a democrat is instantly suspect for any and every sin in creation.
Conformity is a helpful social tool for the survival of the species, but so is dissent.

dangerous cecilthemuppet February 21 2006, 07:24:50 UTC

Are they unintelligent? Not necessarily.

Am I being egotisitical when I consider myself superior to someone who won't question the status quo? I think you should consider yourself lucky/blessed/fortunate/something-like-that. Some people are raised from the very beginning not to question authority, and due to discipline and reward/punishment systems, they are taught that they are safer to take things as they are and not to question veracity of claims.

There is ritual, and participating in it doesn't mean you're a sheep. It can mean that, but it can also mean that you find a truth in it, a truth for you that you have decided upon based upon examination, that you will continue to question based on what is given to you.

The fact that you don't perform ritual (that I'm aware of) and think your ideals makes you superior to others makes you no better than anyone who does perform ritual and think they are superior to you, one who has not discovered "the truth" according to them. And there is the deep thought.