The Individuality Complex
"Am I going round the twist?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so. You're mad - completely bonkers. Luckily, all the best people are."
- Alice in Wonderland, 2010
I went to see Tim Burton's rendition of Alice in Wonderland today. It had room for improvement but was still worth going to see, but that's not the point. I loved how the movie really brought up this point of the coolness of being a little immature and insane. Not insane as in clinically insane, but just different to other people.
I wish people were so readily accepted for being a little strange in real life. I think we all are, but we're just too afraid to show it. Everyone is so critical of the people around them to the point where we're scared about not conforming! I guess my principle example which is really relevant to my life is teenage girls. Every teenage girl in Australia has the same "uniform" - the tank top, short shorts, converse shoes, over sized bag and when it's a tad cold some baggy jumper. They all even essentially have the same haircuts and make up, with a few variations which is considered their form of individuality. (I am probably being extremely critical here, but that's my point of view) Me? I don't wear make up, I don't wear anything 'fashionable' (I buy all of last season's things from the sale rack and go second hand hunting, heck I even on occasion wear guys clothes) and I go all out for something flamboyant just for the point of attracting attention and saying "Hi, I'm being quirky today, how about you?" And yet, I am slandered for it. I don't think what I wear or how I look makes me any less of a person in terms of personality, but to everyone else, it's some great offense to their social code.
What about our interactions with peers? Heck, it's hard to be yourself without offending someone these days. You laugh too loudly, screw it all, you're clearly a freak. Talk to someone uncool? My word, how dare you defy that status quo! Like the wrong music? Just leave. I actually lost a friend because I told her I didn't like Miley Cyrus nor her Hannah Montanna TV show. I didn't say how I feel her voice is like hell imploding or her teeth belong on a walrus or how her acting skills are equivalent to a carrot's (my true thoughts), I just told her I didn't like her. I didn't have the same tastes that suited the realm of the teenage girl's mind - I'm into 1970s music and heavy metal. How can we have created such a world in which we can't even accommodate those with slightly different tastes to ours? It's as though we're developing racism for personality, the minority is victimized.
I think people should just relax. We will always have the eccentric extroverts who get kicks out of liking different things. What is so wrong about that? Do you even feel happy following the status quo of your life? It's okay to dress differently and act strangely, and honestly if the people around you don't understand you being you, then they're not the right people to surround yourself with. There are always going to be people who will accept you if you look hard enough, and disregard their social status.
But, I digress. This post is probably to outlandish to even be accepted or recognized as valid by anyone.
- Emily I.