I believe Margaret Drabble’s statement, “Our desire to conform is greater than our respect for objective facts,” to be quite true. Throughout history, people of all ages have wanted to be accepted and belong to a group rather than look at the facts and measure what is true and false. It is very evident in our society today that not only do we want to be accepted and belong, but we also are willing to do whatever it takes, no matter what the consequences turn out to be. I agree with Drabble’s statement and believe that it is true all around the world. If you were to step outside our society and look back at it objectively, I can assure you that you would see evidence of this.
No matter what age, gender, or ethnicity, people are always going to have the desire to fit in with and belong to a certain clique or group of people. From my observations, people are willing to do almost anything if it means that they will feel like they belong somewhere, no matter what the facts are. Gang membership is an extreme, but valid, case. To be initiated into a gang, you must look beyond the facts and consequences of what could happen to you, and do whatever it takes to get in. This could involve taking a person’s life, robbing a store, or doing other illegal things, but if it means becoming part of a “family,” as the leaders call it, or just getting the same tattoo as everyone else, then many people are willing to take the risk and do it. Today, a lot of young people brush aside the fact that they could end up facing serious criminal charges and spend the rest of their lives in jail. They seem heedless not only about the immorality of taking a life, but also about how they are ruining their own lives. They are often aware of the facts, but choose not to listen. Gang leaders tend to manipulate the minds of those wanting to join a gang into thinking that nothing bad could happen to them if they were to become part of the “family.” Often, only former gang members