Katie Sun
Geers
11H English/ Per 5
October 6, 2014
Kennan Rewrite
Compulsions for Conformity
In the United States, the element of power exists in institutions outside of courts of law and police establishments, such as in the economic system, in settings lacking a forceful, dominant organization, and especially in the compulsions of social life that influence compliance to the norm. Kennan’s most compelling observation is that Americans place extraordinary obligations of group conformity upon themselves (Kennan, 18-20), which can be seen in America’s education system and the media.
The education system preys on people’s intrinsic desire to fit in to evade societal judgment, therefore limiting individuality but adhering to the communal rules …show more content…
The application process for college molds a person as he or she grows up, influencing his or her choices in selecting the path to become the “well-rounded student” that colleges desire. In American public high schools, the curriculum and administration allow liberties in both course selection and personal endeavors, unlike other countries where severe emphasis and implementation of one system of education is promoted. Opportunities presented allow youth to independently explore personal interests, allegedly diminishing conformity and promoting diversity. Ironically, the majority of adolescents choose to assimilate to the same standard, even though the goal is to appear ‘unique’ on a generic application amongst a mass of people. It is with the choices of their peers, guaranteed judgment, and the influence of societal pressures for academic success as defined by the prestige of college that students make decisions. Henceforth, people voluntarily conform to the college application, and pursue high GPAs, extracurriculars, and community service not for personal achievement, but to satisfy ‘prerequisite’. Here, a variety of influences, including society, parents, and peers create a pressure that hegemonizes students into imposing restraints upon themselves, keeping them from pursuing truly individual and remarkable paths …show more content…
While advertising can attempt to tell people what to buy to achieve the discourse of ‘cool’ because of need, appealing to society as a whole to influence itself is more successful, as it creates purchasing because of want. People have grown a resistance to submitting to something that they don’t need, but following the pack because of desire makes one more susceptible, as seen in Century of the Self (Curtis, 2002). Conformity arises when women are tricked into thinking that they must purchase a product, in this case cigarettes, because the “community” desires the same. As long as the majority holds the view in high regard, people are choose to adhere to it in order to evade social judgment. Respect and admiration of our neighbors can create docility and ignorant following of the group, and create pack mentality [sheeple], in which each person does not have an individual mind or thought, but rather thinks and acts collectively. [redundant kt get yo shit