+190 If you were told to dare to be yourself, wouldn't you: grow your hair as long as you want, wear what you want, and be who want? If so, why are we being controlled by the higher authority? amirite?

by Anonymous 14 years ago

because the government and media are a bunch of fear mongers

by Anonymous 14 years ago

Agree.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

Because we realise that if everyone was exactly who they wanted to be everyone would be much worse off. People would not want to be the type of person who pays taxes and without them there would be no governmental spending on necessary things like the NHS and education that vastly improve quality of life. There would also be a much higher level of crime as people be the paedophile or murderer that they want to be rather than, on the whole, refraining from such behaviour due to a desire to conform to social expectations. People are not being controlled by a higher authority, they are choosing to behave in a way that may not be fully expressing themselves but is still infinitely better than the alternative. Indeed, it would be naive to truly believe that the unhindered expression of ones self could be a good idea, and so the pragmatic approach of compromise is the one chosen by the vast majority of people.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

While I agree with your first paragraph, I have to say that it's equally naive to think we're not being controlled by some higher authority. Most people do not start every day with a pep talk on how they will curve their id in order to behave to social standards. There are a good number of people who aren't even aware they're following cultural and social scripts at all even when faced with evidence of this. I would say that society has done a very thorough job at controlling people and a good portion of this comes from our following cues from what we perceive as authoritative figures - parents, teachers, even celebrities. Modern society would not function if we listened to our more primitive instincts, but there are also a lot of rules and expectations we internalize that society could function without. Sometimes it isn't that the majority of people compromise for the sake of the group, sometimes it's just us blindly following cultural norms without question.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

oh haha, i was kind of aiming this at the kids who have to go to a school where there's a strict dress code (uniforms) and had to have their hair an appropraite length. because i go to one that does, and it's annoying. but okay... it's my fault i didn't clarify this.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

if i was a millionare i would shaved my head and wear wal mart clothes and i would not give a fuck what people think.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

well i dont really abide by the dress code but i dont do it in a blatant way. theres a difference between disregard for authority, and hatred for authority. i dress and act the way i want to, which just happens to be somewhat similar to how society/the school rules want me to.

by Anonymous 14 years ago