Argumentative Essay On Conformity

In 2001 The American Scholar printed passage from a Margaret Drabble talk. In this talk Drabble was quoted saying “Our desire to conform is greater than our respect for objective facts.” This quote is a true reflection of society’s need for conformity, explicitly for young adults who suffer the effects of peer pressure. Personally I like to believe I defy this, but in actuality everyone in some way seeks to “fit-in,” making this quote very accurate. Most teens today feel pressure to go along with the quote unquote status quo, and most are willing to conform to do it, regardless of any detrimental effects. The classic high school setting is divided into a stereotypical hierarchy where students are forced into a single label: a jock, a diva,
In modern times the push to resist conformity is growing as individuals now are given a greater voice, however humans as a whole must have an organized society. Infamous communist manifesto writer Karl Marx once said “Society does not consist of individuals but expresses the sum of interrelations, the relations within which these individuals stand.” Of course communism is best in writing and not in actual practice but the point stands. Society is made up of the inner workings of individuals, and it is impossible to completely go against society. Regardless of how hard any student, office worker, book club attendee, etc..tries to not conform, it is the tiniest things that make us obey. Mob mentality is the most powerful example of humans conforming. Students standing around a kid being beaten, not doing anything or actually joining in; protesters fighting the police or each other simply because everyone else is doing it. These are both examples of how people can disregard their personal beliefs simply to fit in with everyone else. Humans have always been pack oriented, and we are extremely likely to conform because it is in our very