Introduction

Nonconformity

Noun Failure or refusal to conform to a prevailing rule or practice. Lack of similarity in form or type. Transcendentalism is A 19th-century idealistic philosophical and social movement that taught that divinity pervades all nature and humanity. Philosophies of transcendentalism still exist even now and interpretations of these philosophies of nonconformity in transcendentalism still remain.  " ...envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide" -Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

YouTube

The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl is a series on YouTube I've been following for almost a year and a half.  Everyone one has had a time in their life when they've had awkward moments.  For me this relates to the transcendental ideal of nonconformity by overcoming the norms of life and accepting who you are as a person.  I don't advise you to watch this in a class room setting because of the language.  

The Stop Sign. Dir. Issa Rae. IAmOther, 2012. www.issarae.com. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.

Milner, Iman N. "ISSA RAE: THE LADY." Edge. N.p., 1 Mar. 2012. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. <http://edgemagazinesite.com/issa-rae-the-lady/>.

Quote

"Every society honors its live conformists, and its dead troublemakers." -Mignon McLaughlin, 

The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

"Society acknowledges those who conform with their standard when that person is alive, but we also acknowledge those who are nonconformist/ troublemakers when they're dead.

McLaughlin, Mignon. "The Neurotic's Notebook." 1960: Print.

Poem

Being Different is Daring to Live

You think you know me
already etched your label on me.
Manifesting what you think
I will already be. 

As if I am so unrefined!

Dressing me up inside your mind,
with every outrageous 
assumption you find.
Comparing yourself to me,
smiling at every flaw in design.

As if Humanity could be so thin lined. 

Now that you know where I come from,
you think you know exactly where
I'm coming from!

They'll tell you "don't act so dumb,
follow the rules and you'll quickly succumb"
...To a life of servitude that is all but numb!

See how they make you dance?
"Look like me, act like me 
or you'll never have a chance!"

You think that the best follower could be a leader too?
This is the real world Sweetheart, were not high school.

Go on and play your safe game of being the same.
Use hate to hide the pain of being ashamed.
Blame the whole world for what you became. 

Instead of making it a reason to be the wings of change.

Commercial/ Advertisement

This commercial is narrated by the late Steve Jobs.  Its a shout out to those who march to the beat of their own drum and don't mind being misunderstood. 

Here's to the Crazy Ones. Dir. Steve Jobs. Apple Inc., 2007. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvnqbRv3-kY>.

Article

Nonconformity Linked to Peer Pressure

ATHENS, GA—According to a study released Tuesday by the University of Georgia's Institute For Social Research, a strong link exists between nonconformity and peer pressure among teenagers and young adults.

Non-comformists

Commissioned in 1995 to examine the growing trend of nonconformity among 13- to 21-year-olds, the three-year study found that 85 percent of U.S. youths actively defy standard societal norms—adopting "alternative" modes of language, behavior and dress—as a means of winning the acceptance and approval of their peers.

"Kids today are told, over and over, by their classmates, their siblings, and images on TV and in magazines, that normal, mainstream behavior isn't 'cool,'" institute director and study co-chair Iris Evantine said. "The message these kids are receiving is: 'C'mon, don't you want to be different like us?' Sadly, kids who resist these pressures to be different are usually ostracized. For the average teenager these days, the pressure not to do what everyone else does is enormous, and often unbearable."

"I'd really like to be normal and conform, because, at heart, I'm not a risk-taker at all," said Grand Rapids, MI, high-school sophomore Christine Kornowicz. "But if I want to fit in, I have to be different. If you don't stick out, everyone at school makes fun of you."

"I've started wearing all black, painting my nails, and shaving my head, just to fit in," said Jonathan Auger, a Binghamton, NY, high-school junior. "You can't understand how hard it is for a young person not to make waves these days."

The trend of nonconformity—which soared to mass popularity in the late 1960s before eventually tapering off in the '80s—has experienced a resurgence in popularity since 1991, when Nirvana's Nevermind album generated nationwide interest in the nonconformist Seattle "grunge-music scene" and its surrounding alternative culture. In the years since, those who have chosen to remain within mainstream society have become virtual pariahs.

"Today, nonconformity is everywhere," Evantine said. "From the Piercing Hut in the suburban mall to the fast-growing, 'radical,' multi million-dollar business of snowboarding, all of America is not going along with the crowd."

While nonconformity is most prevalent among youths, the trend has spilled over into older groups, as well.

"We are finding a shockingly high rate of nonconformity across virtually all age groups, particularly the 40- to 55-year-old middle-class white-male demographic," Evantine said.

According to Institute For Social Research statistics, 38 percent of middle-aged males are defying society's rule that men be prohibited from wearing ponytails; 51 percent regularly wear denim or leather garments, long regarded by the mainstream as bold and unconventional; and 73 percent listen to such nonconformist alternative-rock groups as The Wallflowers, Counting Crows and Oasis.

Additionally, the defiant, iconoclastic fashion statement of earrings has now reached an epidemic level of 89 percent among 40- to 55-year-old men.

Evantine noted that, due to the boom in nonconformity, the percentage of Americans who currently make up the "mainstream" stands at an alarmingly low 7 percent.

"We should all be grateful to the precious few who have stuck to their guns and conformed, even at the cost of exclusion from the vast majority," Evantine said. "And we must pray that they continue to conform, for without this tiny group of people, there would be no one to rebel against."

The institute's report, which has been condemned as "subversive" by such powerful nonconformist institutions as MTV, Pepsico, Urban Outfitters and 1-800-COLLECT, concluded with a call for increased public willingness to rebel against rebelliousness.

"Now, more than ever, we must have the courage to stand up and embrace the norm, no matter how marginalized we may become in doing so," the report read. "We must be brave enough to walk the road less travelled and conform."

Movie

The Hunger Games

This film not only has examples of nonconformity but also nature.  In the film the main character Katniss Everdeen doesn't conform to what society expects her to be.  Katniss, is faced with fighting to the death in an arena, but in the end when it is down between her and her friend, Peeta, she doesn't kill him. Both of the teens evade Capitols plan of death by contriving a double suicide. 

This relates to transcendental conformity again because basically Katniss's unwillingness to comply with authority to a government that she didn't believe in.  We also see this with examples in 19th century transcendentalism.

The Hunger Games. Dir. Gary Ross. Perf. starring Jennifer Lawrence. Lionsgate, 2012. Film.

  2012. Sherman Avenue. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. <http://sherman-ave.com/2012/03/27/an-analysis-of-hunger-games-based-entirely-on-the-movie-poster/>.