chas wrote:
Yes, I love how youth, when their parents don't let them do something all their friends are doing, complain about not being able to express their individuality.
In Western popular culture we continually hear the idea that for our life to have meaning, we should express "ourselves". Fair enough, but what does this mean? I don't see it. I go to a bar and everyone dresses like each other. Then someone calls me a conformist because I wear a sport jacket, but look around: no one else has one on. Go figure. Do I wear the jacket expressly to assert my individuality? No. I like the look because it sits well with my age, but in truth I actually need pockets for all my stuff, and the jacket serves the purpose perfectly. And there you have it. Of course I know it sets me apart, but I live with that because I have my beloved pockets.
Even as conformists we have individuality. Even as individuals we conform to something. Consequently, I have arrived at some difficulty with the overarching assumption of the
necessity of individuality. But I think we popularly confuse "individuality" with the expression of alternative lifestyles which, ironically, so often already imply their own sets of conformities. Try as you might, you can't get away from the circularity of it.