People are sheep. A paradoxical statement I realize, but a true one. It's something my parents have always said, but it's not something I truly understood until I was in the sixth grade. When I was younger this phrase always brought to mind images of fluffy people traveling in hoards- only stopping occasionally to graze on grass and idly stop in inconvenient places. Looking back, I obviously knew very little about sheep and even less about people. My parents were not referring bizarre humanoid sheep, but to the way people sacrifice their own ideals and personalities so they can fit into a group. We’re all guilty of it; agreeing with something because it's easier than being ostracized by your peers. When I was in the eleven I realized just …show more content…
My mom had taken me out to buy all my school supplies. Fresh pencils, notebooks, and erasers sat organized in a new, electric blue backpack. My first day of school outfit, picked out weeks before, was practically perfect. I was prepared to take on whatever new challenges the school year had to offer. However, when I got to school immediately I noticed something was wrong. All my friends stood in a circle talking, laughing, and examining each others outfits. All my friends, except my best friend. Shayla Smith had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. She had angelic blonde hair and a trusting smile; and for the first eleven years of my life we were inseparable. But now she stood by herself in the corner, staring at her shoes. Instead of immediately walking up to her to see if she was ok, I hesitated. Why wasn’t anyone else concerned? Why were the others pointedly not looking in her direction? Why did the giggles suddenly seem less innocent? I slowly shifted toward the group, seeking the comfort and reassurance of the herd. As I approached the them, I cautiously I nudged one of my friends, “What’s wrong with Shayla?” I …show more content…
I was shocked. Shayla was sweet and innocent; a born rule follower. Sometimes it made it hard to hang out with her, and it always made her an easy target, but it never made her mean. Above all other things Shayla was kind. I knew this, she was my best friend and had been my whole life. But I didn’t question it, I turned away from my friend and accepted the new reality of the group. People are cruel, and no person is more cruel than a middle school girl. The rest of the year continued the same way. Shayla would come up to us at lunch or recess, and we would turn away, ignoring her very existence. Our hate bonded us. Constantly, we gossiped about how rude she was and made fun of her behind her back. We justified our actions and our words with rumors and evidence pulled out of thin air. I followed in the example of those around me. I laughed in the right places and said the right things. I never had to sit alone, I was constantly surrounded by friends. Despite this, I was miserable. Isolated by my own guilt and shame. My parents had always taught me to think for myself and to hold loyalty above all other virtues. I had failed to do
Many people have trouble being apart of a society. These troubles come from trying to fit in, which is also known as conforming. Another trouble is trying to express one’s own style with one’s own opinion. This is a trouble due to the fact that many people have the fear of being frowned upon when being the black sheep of the group if one’s opinion does not correspond with other opinions. This is where one’s own sense of who they are, individuality, and trying to fit in, conformity, can get confused. A nickname for conformity is “herd behavior” which is the name of an article where the author relates animals that herd with people that conform. Many people have a different philosophy of this topic which will be expressed in this essay. An important
“Ding”, the bell had just come alive with a mighty ring, ending the last day of school. I began shoveling the materials from my trainwreck of a locker into my bag when a close friend of mine approached me. She began bragging about the birthday party she was planning. Her arrogance annoyed me because she did not invite me, claiming that I wouldn’t know anybody. Honestly, she probably was scared of what I would do to her reputation. All she ever thought about was herself, with no regard for others. This wasn’t the first time it happened, and this pattern began to anger me, I deserved better. And that is when I decided I didn’t need her, I left her to live her own life. I felt as free as a bird but she was left alone like Scrooge. My friend
Conformity means a change in one’s behavior due to the real or imagined influence of other people. As a teenager, the pressure to conform to the societal “norm” plays a major role in shaping one’s character. Whether this means doing what social groups want or expect you to do or changing who you are to fit in. During class, we watched films such as Mean Girls, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and The Breakfast Club which demonstrate how the pressure to conform into society can change who you are. In the movies we have seen, conformity was most common during high school.
Caves believes that people should and must accept that life outcomes are determined by disparities in nature and nuture so people can take practical measures to remedy misfortune and help others to fulfill their potential. “Free will and determinism are not the opposites they are often taken to be; they simply describe our behavior at different levels”, stated Stephen Cave. People should focus on their ability, in any given setting, to generate a wide range of options for theirselves, and to decide among them without having the feeling of restraint. If people give up their beliefs in free will, then their behavior will be viewed as a natural phenomenon. In the idea of cause and effect, a belief in free will may not inspire people to make the
She didn’t want anybody to care about her. When she finally reached school, she avoided everyone. When lunch arrived, she sat with her normal group, headphones in and just complete silence. Everyone knew that this was nothing like her especially Travis, her other best friend. “Talk to me.”
Making new friends, walking through the halls of a new school, and trying to become popular are a few concerns students stress over, prior to their first day of classes. I, Eitan Boutehsaz, fell under this category as I made my switch from a private school, Yeshiva Ohr Chaim, to a public school, Great Neck North Middle School. It was the day after Labor Day, September 5, 2005, and I finally arrived at the institution where I would spend the next year attending. I was anxious, nervous, and in doubt of what this new chapter of my life at Great Neck North had in store for me. At 7:35 A.M., I walked onto the stairs of the bus, but quickly realized I left my most prized possession at home, my basketball.
The most basic concept in social psychology is conformity. Conformity is the idea that behaviour or a belief is changed in order to follow, or conform, to what is considered the “norm.” One of the oldest experiments to support this notion was conducted in 1935 by Muzafer Sherif (Song, Ma, Wu, Li, 2012 p. 1366). There are two different types of
The reason we didn’t get along very well was because I was always jealous of her. She was pretty, smart and had a loving family of her own. It seemed like she had everything, and I hated her for that. Soon that jealousy turned into rage and I knew I had to get rid of her. She stepped into my house with this bright cheerful smile on her face.
She was not sure. She reached out and stroked Sorrows thick fur, the wolf-dog pressed closer sensing all was not well. ‘Quickly boy, go now, be my eyes and ears. Keep watch for our friends and bring them to me,’ she whispered to him.
This assignment introduced me to the sound and message of the rapping duo: Black Sheep. The group consist of New York natives Dres and Mista Lawnge. My search for the album to review started with skimming through the table of context of Brian Coleman’s Check the Technique Volume 2 and listening to snippets of each album. I initially was going to review a 3rd bass album because of the familiar samples; however, one song from the Black Sheep album stood out and made this album a clear choice. In this assignment, I hope to examine most tracks on the album and analyze the collective message of this twenty-two track project.
I didn’t like thinking I was tainted and unlovable. While the truth of the matter was I was dirty. I could never be pure. But still - I wanted to believe so badly- even though It was a delusion- that I was still dating and marriage material. My personal survival tactic, was conjuring several imaginary childhood friends in my head. They would encourage me. I could laugh and smile about the scenarios I created in my mind. I could convince myself that I wasn’t mentally lonely. Only others I had met who suffered through foster care - knew my exact feelings of neglect, embarrassment, shame, isolation, deprivation, and the intense fear, inability to trust, or relate to anyone of any age. I cant tell you how many times I held on to sleeping pills after coming home from school. I cant tell you how many times had stabbed myself to avoid being alone. I cant tell you how many times I screamed how i’m going to hang myself and ended up in the hospital on mental
It had come to the attention of my family that I had some sort of psychological problem and something had to be done. I was always labeled as a shy and quiet kid, and like my family I had thought nothing more of my behavior. However, now it had become something more obvious. I had told my parents the kinds of problems I was having. Basically I didn't want to talk to anyone or to be anywhere near anyone I didn't know. I didn't really want to leave my house for any reason for fear that I might have to talk to someone. I was so critical and scrutinizing in relation to myself that I couldn't even enter into a conversation. Everyone seems to have a part of themselves that lends itself to thoughts of pessimism and failure, but mine was something that was in the forefront of my mind at all times. Something telling me that everything I did was a failure, and that anything I ever did would not succeed. Through discussion with my family it was decided that I should move out of my parents house to a place where I could find treatment and get a job. I was to reside with my sister Lisa, her partner Brynn, and their Saint Bernard in Greensboro.
School was starting next week and Kandy has to go shopping for new clothes. That was the only thing she enjoyed more than being on her computer. She absolutely loved clothes. Kandy was very girlie and always wore high heels, nail polish, jewelry, make up and plenty of lip gloss. After deciding that she wanted to be different, she bought shoes that weren't high heels.
“Yeah. She’s like- a retard!” again, they looked like hyenas, laughing their heads off as they walked away leaving me totally confused. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with Dani, but there was a large part of me that just had to listen to the big kids because they were always right.
When I contemplate human nature, I believe people know life is finite and while animals live to survive, humans live to try be remembered. People yearn to persist, this explains society’s obsession with immortality, vampires, zombies, and the longing to be reminisced. Collectively, I think many humans dread loneliness, society equates isolation with emptiness and as a substitute they engage in a surplus of consumerism to feel comfort. People relentlessly upload pictures to feel reassured by others. People desire authentic connection and due to technology and social media, I conclude that many people fail to create meaningful relationships. There is a subtle hollowness that many oppose, yet never resolve.