In today’s society, it seems that individuality is fading from black and white to a million shades of gray. A push for conformity contributes to the dwindling number of unique personalities, creating a world full of monotonous creatures, all searching for common ground.
According to “Webster’s New World Dictionary,” individuality is the sum of the characteristics that set one person or thing apart. Today, that sum is decreasing drastically due to the lack of acceptance that unique characteristics earn.
Think about any fiction book or movie that was recently released. Webster’s definition fits at least one of the main characters as flawlessly as Cinderella’s glass slipper on her own foot. Unfortunately, these unique beings are only found in a writer or director’s fantasy world.
Ironically enough, these original characters receive the most sympathy from audiences. Harry Potter, Edward Cullen and Katniss Everdeen are prime examples of main characters, estranged for their individuality, that the majority connects with on an emotional level.
When it comes to real people,individuality is hidden from the blind eyes of society, leaving the original spirits behind, in the wakes of conformity. Any actions or characteristics that are out of the ordinary have been shamed and ridiculed for ages.
Since the birth of America as a country, conformity has been a concept of grand importance, even in the tiny societies of the Puritan era. Persecution in Great Britain pushed pilgrims to leave the country and head for America in order to gain acceptance for their personal beliefs. Even then, they still faced the judgement from others as they were forced to affiliate themselves with opposing groups.
Society can sympathize with fictional characters, but when it comes to living, breathing individuals, this capability is buried beneath intolerance for the “abnormal.” This supposed abnormality, in actuality, is self expression or natural tendencies that clash with conformist ideals. The concept, though apparent in real life, is also displayed through a variety of mediums.
Take the Nickelodeon show “The Fairly OddParents” for example. The writers dedicated a whole episode to the idea of individuality. In the twelfth episode of the first season, “The Same Game,” Timmy Turner wishes for everyone to look the exact same; bland, like his mother’s gray-colored meatloaf.
After the wish was granted, all of the characters were transformed into grey blobs. In the end, Turner resulted in forming a makeshift version of his trademark pink hat from his mother’s bright pink meatloaf in order for his godparents to distinguish him from the other gray blobs.
Even in the cartoon town of Dimmesdale, conformity proves to be ineffective. Turner preferred to be an individual over the bland, grayscaled society. If society continues down its current path, a world of “gray blobs” could be seen in the near future, much like that of the Fairly OddParents.
If society learns to embrace the qualities that create individuality, there will be no future of a gray world and the characters from books and movies will begin to evolve from monotonous creatures that rome the conformist world.
