7.9.06

It has become more evident to me since my return to the US that in America, there is a driving force urging us to all be alike. Of course, this happens in every culture, which is, not coincidentally, the factor that leads to the stereotyping of peoples. But I mean it in a more acute sense: there's a pressure to "grow up" and become that which you're supposed to become. We're all sent messages from the media and corporations to buy a mass-produced car, make a downpayment on a mass-produced house, watch mass-produced T.V. and eat mass-produced food. Then there's a social pressure to do more of the same: to dress like them, socialize with them, listen to the same music and have the same nine-to-five cubicle jobs. What happened to diversity, the strength of all societies and communities?

Anyway, I have been working on writing a paper for the better part of my day, and I think it's starting to mess with my mind. Time to go home and carry out another task: organizing my stuff for the move up to Seattle on Saturday.

3 comments:

Ronda said...

Paper? Eew...

Moving to Seattle? YAY!! I will be in and out... Tuesday night I should be there though. We should hang out. Maybe go to a FIUTS thing? There's a gathering at a cafe on the Ave.

Black dress looks good, although I can't tell that well from the pic. But yes, I want the fanciest you have. Then I will bring something of similar fanciness.

Matthew said...

yeah i have noticed that same thing since being back. as a small example, in Germany, i used to hardly care what i was wearing every day, even though it was improper to go out in your sweats or something. here in the states, i feel like there's more pressure to wear the "right" thing or to look a certain way or whatever. i don't like it....how ironic is it that in our laid-back, casual american culture there's actually MORE pressure to fit in than there was in Germany?

t.leaves said...

This is a subject I've found that my life has become dedicated to, especially since I want to work in media and influence culture, but mainly because media's impact on society and human nature fascinate me. I can't speak for other countries, or even other cities or regions of the United States for that matter, but in this country, we live by the phrase, "Keeping up with the Jones'." We live with an American Dream, where if that guy can make it, so can I. Our culture is fast-paced; we're constantly striving to move ahead. Our values are superficial and we live with mass commercialism urging us to buy things because we don't want to be left out.

It seems ironic since we're a country of immigrants. A diverse population should encourage differences, shouldn't it? But maybe that's where we struggle. We don't have a common identity and that's what we're trying to establish, however unfortunately shallow the identity may be. The U.S. doesn't have a rich history like many other nations, such as Germany, for example, that we can share.

The problem may be in how we define success. Money enables us to buy things, and material possessions are a tangible method of measurement of a person's worth. And, you know, this discussion could go on and on, but I should stop there since this is just supposed to be a comment...