Monday, April 30, 2012
We're Original! ... or So We Think?
Edward Young once pondered, “We are all born originals - why is it so many of us die copies?” How ironic is it that American society, the country that treasures and gloats about its diversity and how open it is to being unique and creative, tries to stamp out all “abnormalities” in our population? Of course this is not just in America, this is all over the world; in fact, America truly is one of the most accepting countries in the world. Society tries to fit its youth into a certain cookie cutter image which is why children and teenagers and people in their early-20s are generally seen as rowdy and unkempt. Since we learned our ABCs when we were around 5, we have slowly been assimilating into society and our image of who we should be.
Being open to being unique can benefit society. The United States have somewhat addressed, although not fully accepted this fact. How many parents told their children “Don’t you want to be the president?” generally with a false smile? Of course they realize not every child can or will be the president, so our society aims our children to become lawyers, doctors or CEOs. Recently in the last century, universities and colleges have expanded their majors and minors to majors such as film, design, although they have expanded their major lists so much it is almost unreasonable to find a job, such as ethnic studies.
One may ask, “But we have the chance to become individuals, how is it possible that we all become similar?” Well, by this time that we have the opportunity to “become individuals” we have had these walls of expectations and standards that block us from truly wandering from our imprinted selves. How can we destroy the self we have known and were expected to be for at least the last 15 years? Unless we were fortunate to have open parents, we have been trapped into this box labeled “Who to Be” and only the ones who revolt under the rule of parents have a chance to break away from the cage. This break causes a rift and tension between the parent(s) and offspring until there is a mutual understanding or agreement which may not occur. In short, trying to become an individual can be detrimental for at least a short period of time.
So how can we become unique individuals? We have to fight to create our own path.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
You raise a really good point about the contradictions of American society and its expectations; they want us to be individual within certain limits. Calling back to your cookie cutter simile, we can be any kind of cookie as long as we are a specific shape. We’ve been conditioned since birth but its not totally our parents’ fault because they can only teach us what society has taught them. Maybe the struggle for one, singular self is just a great irony, a mistake. Maybe we are made up of a little bit of everyone we meet; we are all of history and one. Thanks for the insight
ReplyDeleteThis is a great analysis of how individuality is hampered by social expectations. I loved the example where you claimed that "..By this time that we have the opportunity to become individuals, we have had these walls of expectations and standards that block us from truly wandering from our imprinted selves." I too feel that everyday, we lose pieces of our individuality to our society's strict guidelines. Thus, i cant help but ask, "What is true individuality?"
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly that the modern-day American society tries to force an image upon its youth. Nowadays, children and adolescents become more concerned with matters that should not be involving people of their age - things such as sex, drugs, alcohol. Also, many parents seem to push their offspring to aspire to be doctors and lawyers; they become more concerned with the future wealth of their child than their child's personal interests and passions. Whether good or bad, the commonly seen stereotypes of today seem to make an aberration of unique and individualistic beings.
ReplyDeleteI really agree with your view on this topic. Especially your input about how difficult it is to break from the norm you've been raised with even after gaining the tools and freedom to do so (i.e. adulthood). We're often told, "You can be whoever you want to be; you can do whatever you want with your life as long as you work hard." But really... Do we have this freedom? The high achievements we've been told to dream of since infancy have remained fairly static over the past few decades: we might become Harvard law graduates, doctors, engineers, politicians, and make a lot of money doing so. But it's never the dancers, the artists, the culinary students, or the dreamers who gain recognition. For some reason, when these ambitious people delve into the work force through their PASSIONS, we look at them as, well, brave. Daring. Idiotic. These people don't receive the same support from parents, school administrators, or peers. So often, talent and passion is abandoned in favour of safer, easier routes in life (Yes, even getting through medical school these days is viewed as an easier task than aspiring to be an artist).
ReplyDeleteWhen TRUE individuality is seen as reverential as filling in the cookie-cutter, I will rejoice.
Wow miss, you aren't very fond of your parents are you? And so many run-on sentences...my god I'm out of breath after reading that! Ah, but I'm digressing aren't I...your analysis of American expectations was quite insightful, but don't just blame such a large scale for everything! Think of the individual, what about people with loving and liberal suburbanite parents who blatantly refuse to do anything original in their lives? That aside, you're absolutely right that the preferred careers are doctors, ceos, lawyers and etc. It's also true that those aren't the only careers out there, and that society typically shies its kids away from the trivialities of arts, passions and disney-fueled dreams. But also keep in mind that people like to eat at the end of the day in actual homes instead of traveling from park bench to the occasional friends house whilst eating scraps out of a dumpster...in the quest to become original, a person may choose a profession that matches their passion and not really make a lot of money at all. This is a superficial concern yes, but oftentimes more "individual" careers are barely enough, if that, to feed yourself at the end of the day. Could it be possible that parents are pushing their children to the highest paying jobs in the US out of a loving desire to see their offspring safe and well-fed, instead of half-starved and living in their basement at 25? Anyways, thanks for the insight unusualasian!
ReplyDeleteYou have a good point about the American society expectations of the youth. Parents do typically try and push want they want on us but that they could just be trying to give us a better life then they have. Sometimes the kids feel like their parents are suffocating them need to find a way to find a way out.
ReplyDeleteTenisha wrote the Anonymous post
DeleteThis is a very familiar topic that seems to arise consistently during the years of teenage angst; we are each considering what image we want to create for ourselves and the goals to help us achieve that image. I agree with you but only up to a point. Since all humans are born with the same, innate desires and urges there is always that common ground that keeps us all alike at the foundation. The spectrum of human emotion, though wider than any other species, is still incapable of creating completely dissimilar individuals. Good topic for discussion
ReplyDeleteYour correct that society has certain expectations of younger generations to become what they deem as successful such as lawyers, doctors, etc. However, one is not merely defined by one's career, individual experiences throughput one's life can never be replicated twice. These life experiences are what ultimately shape a person, not society's view of them. Unless of course, one allows society's desires to manifest itself into an ultimate antagonist. You bring up a very interesting discussion, keep it up!
ReplyDeleteGreat commentary. Your question of, "How many parents told their children “Don’t you want to be the president?” generally with a false smile?" didn't really seem like a question though, and seemed out of place. Otherwise i love how you questioned the definition of individualism.
ReplyDelete