This week we read in The Scarlet Letter about how society can be divided by something as simple as a letter stitched to someone's chest. If we stopped trying to separate ourselves from everyone else we could help foster peace throughout the earth. Remember when you were little and your parents told you that you were special? They were separating you from society, and creating an initial division. We always do those activities throughout school where the teacher says, "tell me one thing about you that is unique." THEY ARE ASKING US TO TELL THEM WHY WE ARE MORE SPECIAL THAN EVERYONE ELSE! The exact thing they teach us later, that everyone is equal, isn't even close to what they subliminally teach us. Then they wonder why we struggle to comprehend that we are equal with everyone, maybe that's because we have been told our entire life that yes, we are in fact above all others. In the ACT we took, the prompt was regarding high school and "majors," but isn't this just another way to divide us? There is already so many rifts formed from all the cliques and clubs, do we really want another one? All this focus on what makes us special (or different) fosters a belief that we live in an "us against the the world" society. If we stopped putting ourselves above others like Rat does in the comic we could accomplish more and have a more peaceful place to live.
Nice point Matt! There are so many "you are unique" and "you're special" messages everywhere form television to social situations and yet society expects that the messages about equality and working together are taken to heart as well. It is a real dilemma because as you know, a house divided cannot stand.
ReplyDeleteI remember in elementary school that teachers would have posters with a thousand black, dreary umbrellas in the background, with one bright yellow in in the midst of them. The caption would read "Be Unique". Your rant perfectly highlights this paradoxical contradiction: how can you be unique when everyone is equal??
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is ironic how teachers tell a person that he or she is special, yet the teacher does not regard everyone individually and expects that they treat each other equally.
ReplyDeleteThough you make good points about the problems of division it is also necessary and an unavoidable part of life. The way I see it is that everyone is equal in terms of potential to be successful, however we are unique in what we end up doing with that potential. Addressing the "person vs society" aspect of your argument; we are, just like all other species of animal, competitive in matters of survival. With problems such as unemployment breathing down our necks it is necessary to work hard and rise above the competition in order to secure a comfortable lifestyle. An unavoidable side-effect of this course of action would be the fact that many will be left in the dust as you progress further into your success. Everyone is equal in ability, but not in opportunity.
ReplyDeleteThis post makes a lot of sense. Somehow, society paradoxically wants to make us all feel like we're special, while at the same time promoting unity. It's really weird how these both these messages are prevalent in society, but it's even weirder how people believe both of them.
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