Conformity In American Culture

The American Dream — a cookie-cutter house, a white picket fence, and a housewife in pearls — exist largely due to an unspoken conformity in American culture that stems from the end of World War II. With the rise of communism and Cold War brewing beneath the surface of international relations, the American people placed sameness and unity above all other aspects of culture, favoring security over expression and individuality. In fact, in his essay, “Training for Statesmanship,” George F. Kennan reflected that “for reasons highly complex, we Americans place upon ourselves quite extraordinary obligations of conformity to the group in utterance and behavior,” revealing the omnipotence of social obligations, even outweighing legal reasoning within
For example, among the students of Vestavia Hills High School, various versions of the famous American dream exist. For my friend Riley, an aspiring writer, the American dream manifests as traveling the cities of the world with a significant other and some cats, without the conventional three kids or suburban house. On the other hand, my American dream incorporates more aspects of the traditional idea, including children and space to roam, but the beauty of the dream lies in its diversity rather than its content. Modern American culture encompasses the varying dreams and desires of individuals rather than forcing the same aspirations onto every citizen. This movement towards self-expression hinges on the medium of the Internet, as social media platforms have hugely accelerated the growth and expansion of ideas. Though some argue that social media only facilitates greater conformity, citing constant changing trends ranging from t-shirts to necklaces to swimwear, this sameness exists only on a superficial level. Within deeper, ideological levels, social media allows individuals to immerse themselves into thousands of different subcultures that would not have thrived within the system of the 1950s. Whether a community of math-lovers or a TV show fandom, social media allows every person to express parts of themselves they would have
For example, countries such as China block various social media networks within the borders, limiting its citizens access to new ideas and advocating for an unspoken conformity. Without Facebook, many Chinese citizens turn to WhatsApp to communicate with friends, but in using a relatively national form of social media, they expose themselves only to ideas they are familiar with. This phenomenon occurs on an even more extreme level within countries such as North Korea, where the government condemns any communication with the outside world and teaches the absolute mandate of the ruling family. Journalists who have investigated the oppressive regime report citizens wearing identical clothing, sharing identical life philosophies, and speaking identical adulations about their ruler because not only is opposition discouraged, it is forbidden. As a result, many try to escape to the totalitarian country into China and South Korea through adjacent national borders, showing the discontent and desperation that absolute conformity engenders. One TED Speaker went so far as to say that after volunteering to teach there, she hoped that her students conformed rather than resisted because she did not believe it was worth risking their safety. More often than not, encouraged and required conformity serves as warning sign of a weak government, either insecure